.,.Describes postgraduate administrators as drivers of Nigeria’s knowledge economy
…Urges stronger policy, research and innovation alignment in higher education
…Calls for strategic repositioning of postgraduate training for national development
The Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof. Olalekan Asikhia, has taken centre stage in the national discourse on postgraduate education reform, delivering the keynote address at the 3rd Annual General Meeting and 5th Workshop of the Committee of Secretaries of Postgraduate Colleges and Schools (CSPGCS) held in Akwa Ibom State.
The high-level gathering brought together postgraduate administrators, academics, policy experts and institutional leaders from across Nigeria to deliberate on strategies for strengthening postgraduate education and enhancing its contribution to national development.
In his keynote presentation, Asikhia described postgraduate administrators as “strategic linchpins” in Nigeria’s knowledge economy, noting that their roles extend beyond routine academic administration to shaping research direction, innovation output and institutional competitiveness.
He stressed that the future of Nigeria’s development would depend significantly on the quality, relevance and global competitiveness of its postgraduate training systems, urging institutions to reposition postgraduate colleges as engines of research-driven growth.
According to him, postgraduate education must move beyond theoretical scholarship to practical problem-solving capable of addressing national socio-economic challenges, technological gaps and policy deficiencies.
Asikhia further called for stronger collaboration among universities, government agencies, industry players and international partners to ensure postgraduate research translates into tangible national value.
He emphasised the need for curriculum redesign, improved research funding frameworks and strengthened mentorship systems to nurture globally competitive scholars and innovators.
The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the importance of digital transformation, interdisciplinary research and industry-linked postgraduate programmes as key drivers of future-ready higher education.
Participants at the summit reportedly engaged in technical sessions, policy discussions and strategic workshops aimed at strengthening postgraduate administration systems across Nigerian universities.
The CSPGCS workshop is widely regarded as a critical platform for policy dialogue, capacity building and experience sharing among postgraduate administrators in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
The event underscored growing national attention on postgraduate education as a critical pillar for knowledge production, innovation development and sustainable economic growth.
