President Umaru Yar’Adua has charged African universities to come up with inventions and capacities to tackle the current economic and social problems facing the continent.

While declaring the 12th Association of African Universities Conference open in Abuja on Monday, Yar’Adua said the present global financial crisis had worsened the existing economic challenges of Africa.

Yar’Adua, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Hajia Aishatu Duku, said Nigeria was committed to rapid investment in education and human capital development as one of the government’s seven areas of priority.

He said, “We believe that this seven priority sectors have the capacity not only to turn around the economy, but also project us into the group of the world’s leading economies by 2010 with the attendant huge socio-economic benefits to our people.

“In line with this commitment, the reforms in the education sector are aimed at ensuring the attainment of acceptable international standards for all. The idea is to evolve a strategic development plan that would promote educational excellence in both teaching and learning in the sciences and the humanities.”

Yar’Adua urged African universities to be at the vanguard of “this renewal and restoration” by living up to their expectations of being centres of excellence in generating ideas, as well as in research and inventions.

He said these would service the continent’s development needs and prepare the products of the universities to meet the challenges of the reforms and continental development.

“To this end, I urge African universities to think above networking. Indeed, no African country or universities in each of the countries can go it alone to address most of the problems afflicting the continent,” he noted.


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