The Rivers State University (RSU) College of Postgraduate Studies has called for postgraduate research to move beyond academic publications and become a major driver of innovation, policy development, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth in Nigeria.
The call was made on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at the opening of the 2nd Annual Conference of the College, held at the Senate Chamber of the Dr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike Senate Building. The conference had as its theme: “Global Challenges, Local Solutions: Driving Inclusive Growth and Transformation Through Postgraduate Research.”
Declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, challenged postgraduate researchers and scholars to move beyond academic publications and transform their research findings into marketable products capable of driving economic growth and improving the quality of life.
He said research should no longer remain confined to academic publications and library shelves but should generate practical solutions, create marketable products, influence public policy and stimulate industrial development.
According to him, the complex challenges confronting society; including technological disruption, youth unemployment, energy transition, insecurity, climate change, public health concerns, food insecurity and widening socioeconomic inequalities; require innovative, multidisciplinary and evidence-based research.
He urged universities to strengthen partnerships with industry, attract research funding, encourage patent development and protect intellectual property to facilitate the commercialisation of innovative discoveries.
Professor Zeb-Obipi said Rivers State University was committed to repositioning postgraduate education as a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialisation and technological advancement.
He urged participants to use the conference as a platform to exchange ideas, build strategic collaborations and strengthen research networks capable of addressing local and global challenges.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that universities were increasingly recognised not only as centres of knowledge generation but also as engines of economic transformation.
He stressed that, through rigorous scholarship and innovative research, “we can transform ideas into products, research into enterprise and knowledge into sustainable development outcomes.”
He commended the College of Postgraduate Studies for sustaining the annual conference and expressed hope that its deliberations would produce practical recommendations, innovative solutions and enduring partnerships for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The Vice-Chancellor was represented at the event by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Blessing Jaja.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and former Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Professor Barineme Fakae, charged postgraduate scholars to ensure that their research translates into practical solutions capable of addressing societal challenges and contributing to national development.
Professor Fakae described postgraduate research as the engine of innovation and a bridge between knowledge, practice and societal transformation.
He urged researchers to confront emerging challenges with courage and develop locally relevant solutions with clarity and conviction, stressing that research should not end in academic journals but should produce tangible impacts on society.
He commended the university’s leadership and the College of Postgraduate Studies for sustaining academic excellence, innovation and research that is both globally relevant and locally impactful.
Earlier, the Provost of the College of Postgraduate Studies, Professor T. K. S. Abam, charged postgraduate researchers to develop innovative and locally relevant solutions to global and societal challenges rather than relying solely on imported models.
Professor Abam said RSU was shifting from research focused primarily on publication to research capable of delivering measurable societal impact. He noted that the university was transitioning into an entrepreneurial institution where laboratories and libraries would serve as innovation incubators, while postgraduate research would be transformed into patents, spin-offs, social enterprises and policy frameworks capable of creating jobs and driving inclusive growth.
The keynote speaker and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, emphasised the importance of postgraduate education in developing advanced analytical capacity, producing quality research and preparing future generations of scholars.
He advocated problem-based multidisciplinary research, multiple mentoring, international collaboration and sustainable funding as key strategies for strengthening postgraduate research and enabling Nigerian universities to provide solutions to global challenges from local contexts.
The lead paper was presented by the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt and serving member of the RSU Governing Council, Professor Emeritus Joseph Ajienka.
In his presentation, Professor Emeritus Ajienka charged postgraduate students to rethink the purpose of research, urging them to identify the problems they intend to solve before embarking on their studies.
He observed that most institutions were increasingly requesting products and practical solutions in place of conventional theses, and called on Rivers State University to consider moving in the same direction.
The Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Professor Gladson Nwoka and Professor Okachi Wesley Emmanuel, respectively, expressed appreciation to participants and stakeholders for their contributions.
They expressed optimism that the conference would generate actionable recommendations, foster innovation and strategic partnerships, and strengthen the contribution of postgraduate research to sustainable development in Rivers State, Nigeria and beyond.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Professor M. F. N. Abowei and the Director of CIFAL UNITAR, Mrs. Ihuoma Njemanze. The conference also featured the presentation of awards to the Vice-Chancellor and the various speakers.
