Nigeria Country Report 2023

Abstract

Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy. Investment in higher education and research can be a catalyst for positive change and innovation. Moreover, Nigeria’s participation in Rsif is advancing a Pan-African approach, internationalization and intra-Africa mobility. Nigeria is one of the nine African countries that is contributing to the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) of the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) since 2022. Its contribution of USD 4 million is through the World Bank supported Africa Centres of Excellence for Higher Education for Development Impact (ACE Impact) project, to train Nigerian PhD students in selected African host universities and collaborating with international partner institutions. Through PASET-Rsif Nigeria will build strong institutions and future science leaders to drive a science and technology-led growth and development. The African University of Science and Technology (AUST) in Abuja, Bayero University Kano (BUK) and University of Port Harcourt (UniPort) are among the 15 Rsif African Host Universities. There are 41 Rsif PhD students hosted in Nigeria (11 nationalities, 41% women) and 9 Rsif research and innovation projects awarded to Nigerian institutions. 36 Nigerians have been awarded Rsif PhD scholarship (31% women) and so far there are 47 research publications by the Rsif students. The report turns the spotlight on Nigerian Rsif Scholars and highlights how Rsif contributes to strengthening the university innovative potential.