Thursday, September 10, 2026

Expert tasks West African researchers on competitive research

A consultant and research professor has urged West African researchers to focus on competitive research to attract funding.

• January 25, 2024
Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
Nigerian Institute of Medical Research [credit – Wikipedia]

Richard Adegbola, a consultant and research professor at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), has urged West African researchers to engage in focused and competitive research to attract funding.

Mr Adegbola said this at an ongoing three-day annual retreat of the West Africa Network for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM) on Thursday in Lagos.

He noted that most research investigations carried out in the sub-region lacked focus and were unattractive to attract research donors for funding.

He said, “One of the things we complain of in the academics in West Africa is the lack of funds to carry out research because our researchers are not competitive enough to attract funding.

“What we need to do to address this situation is to organise training for researchers to aid the development of our region. Not one single COVID-19 vaccine was tried in West Africa to know its efficacy and safety; we just copied and pasted because it was tried elsewhere.

“We lack the capacity to do that, and that is what WANETAM is doing to train our researchers to carry out work that can generate data that are useful, credible and relevant to what is happening in West Africa.”

The WANETAM was initiated in 2009 by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

The body was created to enhance researchers in West Africa on tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria research and conduct clinical trials through training and capacity building.

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Atiku Abubakar

Hot news Home top

Tinubu shopping for fresh loan in Vienna while factories are suffocating under diesel above N2000 per litre: Atiku

Mr Atiku said, “Before the Tinubu administration goes to Vienna in search of more money, it must first tell Nigerians what has happened to the money already coming in.”

Sport

Nathaniel Idowu Under-16 Football League enters week 2 Saturday in Lagos

The teams return to action following an entertaining opening weekend that produced 22 goals.

NNPC

States

NNPC inaugurates smart filling station in Abuja

Mr Baba-Kukawa said NNPC Retail would replicate the model across the country.

polio vaccination

Health

eHealth Africa supports vaccination of 23 million children in 15 northern states

Mr Fawaz said eHealth Africa strengthened diagnostic and disease-surveillance capacity across Africa. 

Idu Railway Station

Abuja

Fire guts electrical room at Abuja train station

The NRC Chief Public Relations Officer, Callistus Unyimadu, said this in a statement on Thursday.