A Nigerian-born scientist, Dr. Raphael Oluwatoyin Ogabi, has urged African governments to invest more in modern research facilities and the welfare of scientists to unlock the continent’s innovation potential.
Dr Ogabi who is leading groundbreaking wildfire research in the United States, however warned that without doing so, the continent risks losing its brightest minds to brain drain.
Speaking in an online interview with journalists, Ogabi, a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Massachusetts, who said his team is using cutting-edge tools such as LiDAR scans, heat flux, and infrared cameras to reconstruct fire patterns and trace the origins of wildfires, an increasingly destructive force in North America, Europe, and parts of Africa said without proper infrastructure and support, it is difficult to produce groundbreaking results.
The Lagos-born scientist noted that Nigeria and other African nations must rise to global research standards.
Dr Ogabi, who earned his PhD in Energy from INSA Centre Val de Loire, France, explained that Nigeria’s research sector must urgently address two challenges of building state-of-the-art facilities and ensuring the welfare of scientists.
The scientist, who once worked as a Principal Research Officer at the Nigerian Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Kaduna, noted that stronger collaboration between universities, industries, and government agencies is also crucial in advancing the frontiers of research.
According to him, this synergy is one of the key reasons the Western world has achieved such remarkable success in science and technology.
He urged young African scientists not to be discouraged by challenges but to remain curious and resilient.
Dr. Ogabi, who has won multiple recognitions, including the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) scholarship and the Best Paper Award at Imperial College London, said “ research has the power to protect lives, safeguard the environment, and inspire the next generation.
