Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and adoption of technology as strategies to combat poverty in Africa.<\/p>\nEzekwesili made this assertion during Redeemer\u2019s University\u2019s 20th Anniversary Public Lecture in Ede, Osun State, on Monday.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the theme \u2018The Reality of Our Time: Harnessing Human Capital, Technology, and Values for a Sustainable Future\u2019, Ezekwesili emphasised that Africa\u2019s economic and social progress hinges on the quality of its students, faculties and research output.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe solution to poverty is technology and the university is playing a critical role in equipping students with relevant skills for a rapidly evolving job market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ezekwesili pointed out that Africa has one of the world\u2019s youngest populations, with over 60 percent of its citizens under the age of 25.<\/p>\n
While this demographic trend presents immense opportunities, she warned that failure to invest in education and job creation could lead to widespread unemployment and social unrest.<\/p>\n
Citing World Bank data, she revealed that \u201c10 to 12 million young Africans enter the labour market each year, yet only 3 million formal jobs are created.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described this as a ticking time bomb that must be defused through proactive policies.<\/p>\n
To prepare young Africans for the future, Ezekwesili called for a fundamental shift in the education system and urged universities to move away from theoretical teaching and embrace skill-based learning that prioritises critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigher education must align with market demands. AI, blockchain and data analytics should be integral parts of university curricula,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She stressed the need for stronger collaborations between academia and industry to ensure that graduates are equipped with practical skills that match the evolving job market.<\/p>\n
Beyond formal employment, Ezekwesili highlighted the role of entrepreneurship in addressing Africa\u2019s unemployment crisis, calling on governments to remove barriers to business creation, streamline business registration processes, and provide financial support for startups.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica\u2019s youth must be empowered to create jobs, not just seek them. Governments should invest in innovation hubs, venture capital, and digital platforms that support young entrepreneurs,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n
She also emphasised the need for African nations to shift from reliance on raw material exports to industrialisation, manufacturing, and high-value service industries to create sustainable employment.<\/p>\n
Discussing the impact of Artificial Intelligence, AI, on the job market, Ezekwesili acknowledged that while AI and automation could displace certain jobs, they also present new opportunities for knowledge-based employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI is disrupting industries, but it is also creating high-value jobs. The key is to ensure our workforce is prepared,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
She urged policymakers to invest in digital infrastructure, promote AI literacy, and develop policies that support remote work and freelancing opportunities.<\/p>\n
Ezekwesili also addressed the ethical concerns surrounding AI, including bias in hiring algorithms, data privacy breaches, and misinformation.<\/p>\n
She challenged universities and Christian institutions to take the lead in shaping ethical AI policies and called for AI ethics to be integrated into university curricula and for faith-based institutions to engage in digital evangelism and responsible technology advocacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI must be developed and used responsibly. As Christians, we have a duty to ensure technology upholds justice, fairness, and truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ezekwesili urged universities to rethink their approach to education by prioritising research and innovation that align with real-world challenges.<\/p>\n
She also called on governments to create policies that support technological advancements while ensuring ethical oversight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe future is not something we wait for; it is something we must actively shape with wisdom, faith, and action,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
Redeemer University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anthony Akinlo, thanked Ezekwesili for her insightful lecture.<\/p>\n
Akinlo reaffirmed the institution\u2019s commitment to fostering excellence in education, research and ethical leadership.<\/p>\n
Source: Daily Post Nigeria<\/b><\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Francis Ezediuno Africa-Press – Nigeria. Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and adoption of technology as strategies to combat poverty in Africa. Ezekwesili made this assertion during Redeemer\u2019s University\u2019s 20th Anniversary Public Lecture in Ede, Osun State, on Monday. Speaking on the theme \u2018The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":156333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1437],"tags":[215,254],"class_list":["post-156334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-ezekwesili","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\n
Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\"},\"wordCount\":637,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Ezekwesili\",\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\",\"name\":\"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili - Nigeria\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":540,\"caption\":\"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Press | Nigeria | Homepage\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/author\/cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili - Nigeria","description":"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili","og_description":"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili","og_site_name":"Nigeria","article_published_time":"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":540,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili","datePublished":"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili"},"wordCount":637,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg","keywords":["Ezekwesili","Nigeria"],"articleSection":["all news","files"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili","name":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili - Nigeria","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-24T21:43:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-04T11:56:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has called for urgent reforms in higher education, research and ad ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/sm_1742846577.109173.jpg","width":1200,"height":540,"caption":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/quality-education-research-key-to-ending-poverty-ezekwesili#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Quality education, research key to ending poverty \u2013 Ezekwesili"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/","name":"Africa Press | Nigeria | Homepage","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/author\/cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}