Enhancement of Health Research Capacity in Nigeria through North-South and In-Country Partnerships

Abstract

Research productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to affect teaching, student quality, faculty career development, and translational country-relevant research as it has in developed countries. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an academic infrastructure that includes 129 universities and 45 medical schools; however, despite the size, the country has unacceptably poor health status indicators. To further develop the research infrastructure in Nigeria, faculty and research career development topics were identified within the six Nigerian universities of the nine institutions of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN) consortium. The consortium identified a training model that incorporated multi-institutional “train the trainers” programs at the University of Ibadan, followed by replication at the other MEPIN universities. More than 140 in-country trainers subsequently presented nine courses to more than 1,600 faculty, graduate students, and resident doctors throughout the consortium during the program’s first three years (2011–2013). This model has fostered a new era of collaboration among the major Nigerian research universities, which now have increased capacity for collaborative research initiatives and improved research output. These changes, in turn, have the potential to improve the nation’s health outcomes.Nigerian medical institutions have long been plagued by poor infrastructure, weak research capacity, corruption, low staff morale, and lack of administrative support and resources. These limitations have led to researchers’ being unable to secure competitive research grants and have severely limited the research capability and opportunities for medical graduates and faculty.1 In a recent survey, 64.7% of medical specialists in the country considered research to be a third priority, after hospital service (72.5%) and teaching (66.0%), in the scale of their roles. While 78.4% of the respondents considered advancement of knowledge to be their strongest motivation for research, 94% said funding and 80% said dedicated time for research were their major constraints.2 Globally, a major distinguishing mandate of universities is the creation and dissemination of new knowledge.3–5 It is well known that good research has a positive impact on teaching, learning, and the quality of graduates.6–8 Good research creates opportunities for training the next generation of researchers and retention of faculty through enhancement of job satisfaction, career progression, and implementation of country-relevant research.3,9 And while Nigeria is the most populous Sub-Saharan African country, with an estimated population of 167 million and 129 universities and 45 medical schools, its health indices remain unacceptably low by global standards.10–12 Although there are many responsible factors, there has been very little contribution of in-country research or translation of knowledge to disease prevention and control in recent decades. This was not always the case. During the 1970s, the medical research output from the University of Ibadan ranked fourth in medical education and research among all institutions in the British Commonwealth.6 At that time, the federal government of Nigeria funded very few universities, and those they did run were adequately funded, well-equipped, and with highly motivated academic staff. The situation changed for the worse during the ensuing decades of military rule (1960s to end of the 1990s). This period was associated with poor funding of the education and health sectors, which resulted in deterioration of the academic infrastructure and inadequate equipment and facilities needed for research and training of postgraduate students and faculty.6,13 This paper documents an innovative international approach involving a “train the trainers” program used by six Nigerian universities working in partnership with experienced educators from two U.S.-based institutions to build capacity for health research training in Nigeria.