The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, has urged Nigerian universities to deepen collaboration with industry, government, and international partners in order to reposition higher education toward innovation, entrepreneurship, and meaningful societal impact.
Ribadu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at the International Conference on Academic Entrepreneurship, Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Nigerian Universities. The event brought together academics, researchers, development agencies, and international partners, including delegates from the University of Koblenz and the University of Erfurt in Germany.
Represented by the Director of Research, Information and Technology, Lawal Farouk, Ribadu said the global direction of higher education is shifting, with universities now expected to go beyond teaching and research to become drivers of creativity, enterprise, and development.
According to him, “Across the world, universities are increasingly being called upon to move beyond their traditional roles of teaching and research and become centres of creativity, enterprise, and societal transformation.”
He noted that the NUC is actively driving reforms aimed at preparing graduates for a rapidly evolving global economy. A key part of this reform, he explained, is the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), which emphasizes competency-based and learner-centred education.
Ribadu said the framework is designed to equip students not only with academic knowledge but also with entrepreneurial abilities, digital skills, critical thinking, and adaptability required in modern workplaces.
“The CCMAS framework seeks to equip students not only with disciplinary knowledge, but also with entrepreneurial skills, digital competencies, critical thinking, and the adaptability required in today’s workplace,” he said.
He further stressed that the performance of universities should no longer be judged solely by teaching and research output, but also by their ability to convert knowledge into real-world solutions.
“Increasingly, the success of modern universities will not be measured only by the quality of teaching and research. It will also be measured by their ability to convert ideas into innovation, innovation into enterprise, and research into societal impact,” he added.
Ribadu also called for stronger collaboration across sectors, noting that effective innovation systems require partnerships between academia, industry, government, and investors, supported by institutional cultures that encourage creativity.
He highlighted ongoing partnerships with German universities as an example of productive international collaboration that can strengthen Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and global competitiveness.
“Our partnership with the University of Koblenz and the University of Erfurt demonstrates the value of partnerships in advancing these goals,” he said.
Delivering a keynote address, Professor Harald Korflesch of the University of Koblenz emphasized the need to professionalize academic entrepreneurship and improve the commercialization of research outputs.
He described universities as having a “third mission” beyond teaching and research—translating knowledge into societal and economic impact.
Korflesch referenced global innovation theories, including mission-oriented research and the “entrepreneurial state,” noting that while many universities already run incubation programs and innovation hubs, results often remain limited.
He pointed out the persistent gap between research output and commercialization, stressing that universities remain strong in knowledge production but weak in converting ideas into viable businesses.
To address this, he called for stronger entrepreneurship education tied to real-world projects, deeper industry engagement, structured funding for prototypes, and support for spin-off companies.
He also emphasized the role of alumni and diaspora networks in building stronger innovation ecosystems.
Concluding his remarks, Korflesch urged universities to focus not just on whether entrepreneurship is being taught, but on how effectively it is being implemented.
“It’s not about whether we should do it—it is already set—but how and how well we can do it,” he said.
The conference reflects ongoing concerns about graduate employability in Nigeria and the persistent gap between academic research and industry needs, reinforcing calls for a more innovation-driven higher education system.
