Stakeholders in Nigeria’s university system have urged federal, state and private universities to strengthen their capacity to secure international grants and adopt strategic approaches to resource mobilisation if they are to remain competitive, globally relevant and financially sustainable in an increasingly dynamic academic landscape.

The call was made by the Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof. Andrew Haruna, alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Optimal Delivery Solutions Projects and Corporate Services Limited, Mr Ken Oguzie, during a collaborative research workshop in Abuja.

The workshop, themed: ‘Unlocking global funding: Resource mobilisation and international grantsmanships for Nigerian universities,’ brought together vice-chancellors, research officers, grants administrators, and other key stakeholders to examine practical strategies for improving access to global research funding opportunities.

Participants observed that many Nigerian universities still depend heavily on government subventions and allocations from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), while several alternative funding streams remain underused or poorly coordinated across institutions.

The over-reliance on public funding, they said, has left universities vulnerable to budgetary constraints, delays in disbursement and limited room for innovation, especially as the cost of research infrastructure, laboratory equipment and academic resources continues to rise.

Concerns over widening funding disparities were also raised during discussions following reports that the University of Cape Town in South Africa recently unveiled an endowment fund valued at about N441 billion.

That figure significantly surpasses the combined N6.8 billion endowments recorded by eight Nigerian public universities.

The development, according to participants, highlighted persistent structural challenges within Nigeria’s higher education system, particularly in the area of alternative funding, institutional sustainability and long-term financial planning.

They noted that while foreign universities have built robust endowment and grant systems over decades, many Nigerian institutions are yet to institutionalise similar structures, leaving them at a disadvantage in the global academic space.

Speaking at the event, Haruna said the global academic environment has evolved considerably, with leading universities increasingly relying on competitive grants to drive innovation, research output, infrastructure development, and institutional advancement.

He noted that although Nigerian universities are eligible for several international funding opportunities provided by agencies such as the European Union, United States National Science Foundation, Welcome Trust, Ford Foundation and others, many institutions continue to struggle with weak proposal development, limited institutional frameworks for grants acquisition, poor alignment with donor priorities and inadequate collaboration. “

For many universities, reliance on government subvention remains dominant, while alternative funding sources such as international grants, industry partnerships, and collaborative research networks are not being strategically explored,” Haruna stated.

He described the workshop as timely and necessary, adding that it would equip participants with practical tools to strengthen institutional capacity, improve proposal-writing skills, and foster effective partnerships that can make Nigerian universities more attractive to international funders.

Stakeholders at the workshop identified several funding opportunities that Nigerian universities are not fully exploring. These include research commercialisation and patents, alumni endowment funds, industry-sponsored research, international competitive grants, venture capital and start-up incubation, diaspora academic partnerships, executive education programmes, agricultural commercial ventures, philanthropic funding and intellectual property management.

They noted that a significant amount of research generated in Nigerian universities ends up as academic publications in journals, rather than being transformed into patents, products, licences, start-ups, or commercial ventures that can generate revenue and address societal problems.

However, some universities are already taking steps to bridge the gap. Institutions such as Covenant University and the University of Port Harcourt were cited as examples of schools that have started developing innovation ecosystems and strengthening industry collaboration around research commercialisation.

Similarly, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, was highlighted for its partnership with the financial technology company OPay, aimed at supporting scholarships and student development initiatives.

Participants also pointed to the growing establishment of grants and partnership offices in some institutions as evidence of efforts to improve access to international funding opportunities and coordinate resource mobilisation efforts more effectively.

Speaking further, Ken Oguzie identified three major strategic shifts required for Nigerian universities to attract global funding.

These include moving from individual-driven initiatives to institution-wide strategies, from localised thinking to global relevance, and from competition to collaboration.

He stressed that most international funding organisations are increasingly interested in projects that address global challenges, such as climate change, food security, artificial intelligence, public health, renewable energy and inclusive development.

He further emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary and cross-border partnerships, noting that the most successful grants often involve collaborations across institutions and countries.