Professor Patrick Lumumba, former Kenyan anti-corruption chief and Pan-African advocate
Former Kenyan anti-corruption chief and Pan-African advocate, Professor Patrick Lumumba, has urged African governments to prioritise university funding, warning that meaningful development will remain out of reach until academics and research institutions are given proper support.
Speaking in Ilorin during the University of Ilorin’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Lumumba said the continent “remains the only place where academics are undervalued while politicians become multimillionaires”, arguing that the gap undermines Africa’s aspirations. He praised Nigeria’s global intellectual footprint, noting the number of Nigerian professionals excelling abroad, but said domestic institutions still struggle for the resources needed to cultivate similar excellence at home.
Lumumba referenced past continental commitments, including the 1980 Lagos Plan of Action and the 1991 Abuja Declaration, as examples of pledges that governments have failed to honour. The result, he said, is a persistent divide between ambition and implementation.
He criticised Africa’s reliance on imported food and called for universities to drive a shift towards agricultural self-sufficiency, urging institutions to produce graduates capable of solving local problems in engineering, agriculture and technology. Lumumba said he was encouraged by Unilorin’s expanding agricultural projects, which he described as a step towards reducing national dependency and strengthening Africa’s capacity to feed itself.
Leave feedback about this