Prof Osagie Ekhator(left), Head of Service, Dr Anthony Okungbowa(middle) and Mr Enodolomwanyi Otamere, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education(right), in the office of the Head of Service.Edo Head of Service applauds initiative as university seeks stronger academia-government partnership
By Esosa Omorogbe
Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma (AAUE), has taken a major step towards transforming academic research into practical solutions for governance and societal development, with the University proposing an AAUE/Edo State Government Research Roundtable to tackle real-life challenges confronting the state.
The proposal was unveiled by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Professor Osagie Ekhator, during engagements with key officials of the Edo State Government in Benin City as part of efforts by the University to deepen its research culture and extend its impact beyond the campus.
Professor Ekhator met with the Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Education, Mr. Enodolomwanyi Otamere, and the Edo State Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, where he presented the vision of the University's research initiatives and explored areas of collaboration between the University and government.
At the heart of the engagement was the University's determination to establish stronger connections between academic research and the practical challenges confronting government and society.
Under the proposed Research Roundtable, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Edo State Government would be encouraged to identify and submit pressing operational, economic, social, environmental, technological and developmental challenges requiring research-based solutions.
The University would subsequently translate the identified challenges into researchable problems and match them with relevant experts, departments and multidisciplinary research teams capable of developing practical solutions.
In essence, the proposed framework seeks to establish a direct pipeline between government problems and university expertise—with government identifying the challenges and the University deploying research, innovation and knowledge to develop solutions.
Dr. Okungbowa welcomed the proposal and expressed enthusiasm about the initiative, commending the Management of Ambrose Alli University for strengthening research as one of the fundamental responsibilities of a university.
The Head of Service also applauded the University's determination to deepen the relationship between the academic community and society, stressing the importance of creating practical links among academia, government, industry and the wider society.
He requested that the University formally communicate the proposal to the Edo State Government for further consideration and engagement.
The First Lady, Mrs Edesili Okpebholo Anani(middle) with the permanent Secretary and Deputy vice-Chancellor (Academics) AAUEKPOMAARIFE: AAU'S NEW RESEARCH FRONTIER
The proposed Research Roundtable is coming against the backdrop of a broader research agenda being pursued by Ambrose Alli University under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Eunice Omonzejie.
While explaining ARIFE (Annual Research Innovation Fair and Exhibition) as AAU's new research frontier, Professor Ekhator described the initiative as a research and innovation programme of the University Management designed to stimulate research, innovation and problem-solving across the University.
He also highlighted AFORA (Annual Festival of Review Articles), another initiative aimed at strengthening the University's research culture by encouraging departments and academics to undertake and promote research activities capable of generating new knowledge, critical reviews, innovations and practical solutions to contemporary challenges.
Through ARIFE and AFORA, departments across the University are being mobilised to become more actively engaged in research and to ensure that scholarly work translates into knowledge and innovations with relevance beyond the academic environment.
The initiatives are expected to culminate in the Annual Research Innovation Fair and Exhibition in October 2026, where research outputs and innovations from across the University will be showcased.
The University's emerging research philosophy is anchored on a simple but fundamental question: What problem in society can our knowledge solve?
Further encouragement for the University's research drive came during the launch of the Policy Framework on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence at the Government House, Benin City.
At the event, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Otamere, introduced the ARIFE initiative to the Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani, who expressed support for the University's research initiative.
Also present at the event was Dr. Jude Obasanmi of the Department of Economics, Ambrose Alli University.
The engagements, according to the University, form part of its broader strategy to build meaningful partnerships around research, innovation and development, while positioning the institution as a strategic knowledge partner to government and society.
FROM RESEARCH PAPERS TO REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS
For AAU, the new direction represents a deliberate shift from research being viewed primarily as an academic requirement to research becoming a strategic instrument for solving problems.
The University believes that research should not end on library shelves or in academic journals, but should translate into policies, technologies, innovations and interventions capable of improving the lives of citizens.
It is this philosophy that informs the proposed AAU/Edo State Government Research Roundtable, which is being positioned as a bridge between policy and scholarship, government and academia, problems and solutions, and town and gown.
The initiative, if fully developed, could provide government with direct access to the intellectual resources of the University while giving researchers a clearer understanding of the challenges requiring evidence-based solutions.
With preparations gathering momentum for the October 2026 Research and Innovation Fair and Exhibition, Ambrose Alli University is signalling a new research philosophy: research must not only generate knowledge; it must generate solutions.
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