Researchers demand increased innovation, funding in Africa

By Abubakar Yunusa

Stakeholders in the research and innovation sector on Wednesday called on African governments to increase investment in research and innovation to drive sustainable development and economic growth across the continent.

The call was made during the annual workshop and conference of the West African Research and Innovation Management Association held in Abuja.

The conference, themed “Compliance for Quality Research,” also commemorated the association’s 20th anniversary.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, President of WARIMA, Dembo Kanteh, said innovation remained critical to creating employment opportunities, expanding markets and addressing developmental challenges facing African countries.

He noted that many African nations were still lagging behind in research funding compared to developed countries where governments heavily invest in scientific development and innovation.

According to him, inadequate funding had continued to limit the ability of researchers to access modern facilities and undertake impactful projects.

“In many developed countries, governments invest heavily in research, but in our own environment, funding is still in its infancy. Researchers therefore need support to access international grants,” he said.

Kanteh stressed the need for African institutions to comply with international standards and funding requirements to improve the quality of research outcomes and attract global grants.

He explained that research had become increasingly complex due to strict conditions attached to international grants and contracts.

“Researchers have responsibilities in relation to how research is conducted. They must ensure compliance with ethical standards, legal frameworks and regulatory requirements,” he added.

Kanteh further disclosed that WARIMA had intensified efforts towards strengthening collaboration among researchers across West Africa.

He said the association was also supporting early career scientists through mentorship and professional development initiatives.

“The ideas in infancy in our young people are the ideas that will change our countries in the future,” he stated.

Also speaking, former Vice Chancellor of Babcock University and Coordinator of the Nigerian EU National Contact Point network for Horizon Europe, Prof .Michael Faborode, identified poor commercialisation of research findings as a major challenge confronting Nigeria and other African countries.

Faborode lamented that many research findings end up “on the shelf” without being transformed into products capable of driving economic growth and national development.

According to him, researchers must begin to focus more on patents, prototypes and product development instead of limiting research output to publications.

“Patents, prototypes and product development are even more essential because through that avenue you can create wealth,” he said.

He stressed the need for stronger collaboration between universities, research institutes and industries to ensure that research findings were translated into practical solutions and commercially viable products.

Faborode also urged African governments to prioritise investment in innovation and scientific research, noting that the continent could not continue depending on imported technologies.

“We cannot continue to wait for the products of others. We have to develop our own,” he added.

He, however, acknowledged ongoing efforts by researchers to explore alternative funding opportunities, including grants under the Horizon Europe programme.