Expert Urges African Varsities to Tackle Funding, Curriculum, Infrastructure Gaps

Funmi Ogundare

Chief Web Advocate at the World Wide Web Foundation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert, Nnenna Nwakanma, yesterday called on African universities to urgently address systemic challenges in education, including infrastructural gaps, limited funding, and outdated curricula that leave graduates ill-prepared for the job market.

Speaking at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo in Ogun State, Founders’ Day lecture with the theme: ‘Legacy and Leadership Excellence: Building Enduring Institutions in Times of Change’, Nwakanma stressed that while Babcock has grown remarkably from just seven students and a handful of buildings to over 13,000 students and a teaching hospital, broader challenges confronting higher education in Africa persist.

“Education is under pressure here in Nigeria, across Africa, and across the world. Universities are overcrowded and under-resourced, funding remains inadequate, and too many graduates face unemployment or underemployment despite years of sacrifice,” she said.

In her keynote titled: ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, the global digital policy leader also warned that Africa’s brain drain continues to undermine development, while curricula in many universities are not keeping pace with the rapidly changing demands of technology and the global job market.

The expert cited Rwanda’s recent reforms as an example of how aligning academic training with industry needs can enhance employability, saying that “our curriculum must match up with global demands.”

She recalled her journey from a Babcock University student to a global voice in digital policy, urging universities in Nigeria and across Africa to maintain their founding vision while embracing innovation and reforms that will secure their relevance in a fast-changing world..

She, however, expressed concern that the world is increasingly becoming intolerant of compassion, noting that true wisdom is often overlooked. According to her, what society urgently needs are people of integrity who can add genuine value to their work.

“The pursuit of truth must be anchored in God. When we uphold values and do what is right, opportunities will open before us,” she said.

Earlier in his remarks, the President/Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ademola Tayo, called for the preservation of legacy and the pursuit of leadership excellence.

He warned that faith-based institutions risk losing their identity if they fail to balance adaptation with conviction.

Tayo noted that while Artificial Intelligence and digital platforms are transforming teaching, learning, and research, institutions like Babcock University must ensure that technology does not replace relationships, convenience does not weaken conviction, and popular culture does not redefine spirituality.

“Legacy without leadership becomes a museum piece; leadership without legacy becomes rootless. But when leadership and legacy meet, institutions endure,” he said.

Highlighting the university’s growth from ‘a seed in the jungle’in 1959 to a leading faith-based institution in Africa, Prof. Tayo urged faculty, students, alumni, and administrators to defend the university’s identity, adapt with integrity, model servant leadership, and build enduring systems that will secure its future.