By Nan Warner

A number of senior members of the Open AIR Network – including UCT’s Prof Caroline Ncube, Dr. Tobias Schonwetter and Ms Nan Warner – participated in the Nigerian National Workshop on Research Grant Writing and Administration, hosted by Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo Campus, Lagos, on 13 and 14 February 2018.

Nigeria has 40 Federal Universities, 44 State Universities and 74 private Universities, all approved by the Nigeria Universities Commission. This is a truly impressive number of universities, but it has proved challenging to provide the capacity to so many academics that is required to allow them to successfully attract research funding, both local and international. This is closely linked to the need for university resource persons who are specialists in the complexities of research grant-writing and grant management.

Thus the audience included researchers, academics, post-graduate students, and university administrators at all levels. Education policy makers and representatives of funding agencies were also present. Continue reading →