African Professors must stop counting publications — And start building nations

Read Comments Comments (23)

• GodBlessGh 2 months ago

  I have read this piece and I guess the author must relook at his submission. Firstly, research publications are intended to inform the public (including industry) about recent findings and influence policy making for national ...
  read full comment

  I have read this piece and I guess the author must relook at his submission. Firstly, research publications are intended to inform the public (including industry) about recent findings and influence policy making for national development. Researches carried out in university labs are meant to find solutions to existing problems, invent new, cheaper, sustainable and cleaner solutions to life's problems. However, the solutions or products generated from lab experiments are usually on 'lab scales' requiring industries (and funding agencies) to invest in scaling up. University laboratories around the world do not receive funds for scaling up and commercialising their products and so this is not just an African issue. African Profs & researchers just like the colleagues elsewhere have great inventions and have made great discoveries which have remained in books and in publications waiting for the industries to collaborate with universities for commercialisation.
  
  But till our governments and "rich people (industrialists)" fund university projects geared towards solving local problems, foreign funding agencies will keep providing grants to our researchers to work in their interest. This will result in generating results that are not "very" relevant to solving pressing African societal problems. The findings however satisfy the curiosity of the foreign funding agency. Note that one of the key performance indicators of a good research project is PUBLICATION in academic journals. Publishing regularly is also a key indicator of "life" in one's field of research and so to remain 'alive' and competitive in one's field, one must keep publishing to survive. Meanwhile, an indicator of ones scientific influence, community recognition and research relevance could be indicated by the number of citations.
  
  This indicates that Profs are not the problem but governments and industries as they are not proactive enough in investing and collaborating with universities for nation building.
  
  Cheers

  reply
• NADAA2 2 months ago

  WOBOWA!
  This is ARCHAIC thinking wae. If you keep publishing and publishing and it ends on the scrap heap...then why keep publishing????
  
  Africa academics are the second most USELESS ...after politicians.....

  WOBOWA!
  This is ARCHAIC thinking wae. If you keep publishing and publishing and it ends on the scrap heap...then why keep publishing????
  
  Africa academics are the second most USELESS ...after politicians.....

  reply
• Cheers 2 months ago

  You hit the nail right on the head.
  Professors don’t have the money to commercialize their research work, and the politicians don’t care about creating the right environment for those with funding to get the research fin ...
  read full comment

  You hit the nail right on the head.
  Professors don’t have the money to commercialize their research work, and the politicians don’t care about creating the right environment for those with funding to get the research findings off the ground to the market.
  Merry go round.

  reply
• Dr. SAMUEL ASAMOAH 2 months ago

  This is one of the best piece I have ever read concerning finding solutions for Africa problems. Well done.

  This is one of the best piece I have ever read concerning finding solutions for Africa problems. Well done.

  reply
• Kojo 2 months ago

  You have forgotten that nation building is not part of the indicators for promotion in the universities.

  You have forgotten that nation building is not part of the indicators for promotion in the universities.

  reply
• TY 2 months ago

  Well, there is hardly any publish or perish culture in African universities. Therefore, a key premise of this article doesn't hold. That culture prevails only in research-intensive universities (A1) in the USA. In Africa, you ...
  read full comment

  Well, there is hardly any publish or perish culture in African universities. Therefore, a key premise of this article doesn't hold. That culture prevails only in research-intensive universities (A1) in the USA. In Africa, you don't get promoted if you don't publish. Many professors have side jobs. Indeed, publishing by African university professors is a relatively recent phenomenon. It's much easier for them to get access to databases and articles now. By the way, publishing and offering practical advice are not mutually exclusive. You can publish and build nations, as defined by the writer. Nobel laureates in Economics and Sciences are highly published and contribute their knowledge to society as well.

  reply
• Manaseh Mintah 2 months ago

  I am with you on this one. Yes, publications are supposed to inform, but, like you rightly put it, we must re-think the African module. In Africa, those publications inform absolutely nothing. Academia must therefore go a ste ...
  read full comment

  I am with you on this one. Yes, publications are supposed to inform, but, like you rightly put it, we must re-think the African module. In Africa, those publications inform absolutely nothing. Academia must therefore go a step further to find lasting solutions to our perennial problems.

  reply
• zak 2 months ago

  When policy makers have failed, you turn to blame academia. Bear in mind that academia is meant to generate evidence to support policy makers. I can assure that we have generated loads of evidence, but we are living in a soc ...
  read full comment

  When policy makers have failed, you turn to blame academia. Bear in mind that academia is meant to generate evidence to support policy makers. I can assure that we have generated loads of evidence, but we are living in a society where policy making is driven by politics and not science. A case in point is galamsey menace. Researchers have generated loads of evidence on the causes, effects and solutions to galamsey over a decade ago. But your politicians will keep doing their politics regardless of what science is saying. Be informed all professors who are embarking on research win grants from donor organization. Until researchers, professors were given 500 cedis annually to carry out reeach to develop the country.

  reply
• Ina 2 months ago

  Really. Sad

  Really. Sad

  reply
• Dr. Alhaji Koblavi Osei Mensah Tetteh 2 months ago

  The problem has to do with the FIRE WALL between theory/academia and practice/policy/politics. That wall must be demolished and there should be free flow of theory and practice in both directions. How many university studen ...
  read full comment

  The problem has to do with the FIRE WALL between theory/academia and practice/policy/politics. That wall must be demolished and there should be free flow of theory and practice in both directions. How many university students even do internship in the real world. In America almost every gradate student has a job. In Ghana, you can graduate and not have a job in years, if you don't go to the village and teach.

  reply
• Korsrokorbor 2 months ago

  Thank you for this deeply thoughtful wisdom filled write up. Please not only professors but PhD holders as well. The booklong is just too much. Lots of research papers, thesis have collected dust over the years. Lets face it. ...
  read full comment

  Thank you for this deeply thoughtful wisdom filled write up. Please not only professors but PhD holders as well. The booklong is just too much. Lots of research papers, thesis have collected dust over the years. Lets face it. And let them come out of their shells and do something and dont blame anything on political directions of their countries.

  reply
• Ina 2 months ago

  I like the approach of the writer. Respectful, I must say. However, the solution should be geared towards the process and not the persons/Professors. African Academics should redefine their progress. Investment in inventions ...
  read full comment

  I like the approach of the writer. Respectful, I must say. However, the solution should be geared towards the process and not the persons/Professors. African Academics should redefine their progress. Investment in inventions and research should also be in collaboration with industry and together we shall achieve excellence.

  reply
• Fred 2 months ago

  Interesting but controversial. But also reads like AI-generated.

  Interesting but controversial. But also reads like AI-generated.

  reply
• Dr. Robertson Akrofi 2 months ago

  I don’t really think African Professors have what it takes to publish like the Asians- the Chinese, Japanese, Indians, and Europeans, the Americans …. etc. We are no where close. Why because they built their nation from ...
  read full comment

  I don’t really think African Professors have what it takes to publish like the Asians- the Chinese, Japanese, Indians, and Europeans, the Americans …. etc. We are no where close. Why because they built their nation from research. They have invested heavily and they are reaping their investments. Visit our science laboratories and see if we have up to 1/100 of the tools- equipments, softwares, subscriptions helping/aiding science. There is no law/ constitutional mandates to fund instruments purchases and fund research consumables. there should clear path to obtaining what need for science research in our country. They will say you need to write grant proposals to seek funding from outside and why not within. Funding agencies looks at your facilities to see if they can support the grant for the research. You don’t have those facilities and they cannot grant you the money for the research that will build nation. A proverb in Akan says ‘wo bo wokehyire aa na ye soa wo’. First of all, I humbly plead with our governments to the sciences and resource our labs and create instrument and equipment centers for us. No one scientist -Chemists, physicist, biologist, pharmacist, biomedical scientist, organic Chemists, the environmental Scientist etc can sponsor his science research. How much do I earn a month to purchase the instrument and equipments- like the 800 MHz, 600MHz NMR, LC-MS/MS, the Elemental analyser, Fluorescence Spectrometers, - the rest are below I am in Chemistry and speak as such. We need instruments But African governments like Ghana and so on are rather failing to invest in what builds a nation. That’s why our situation. ….. - and the continuation of the instruments: “1. NMR Spectrometer (400–600 MHz, Cryoprobe-Ready)
  • Application: Structural elucidation of organic, bioactive, and natural products; dynamic studies; impurity profiling.
  • Use in Ghanaian context: Drug discovery, phytochemical structure confirmation, and teaching advanced spectroscopy.
  
  ⸻
  
  2. LC–MS/MS (High-Resolution, QTOF or Orbitrap)
  • Application: Non-volatile compound identification, metabolomics, drug assays, environmental pollutants.
  • Solves: Detection of trace toxins, pesticides, and bioactive compounds in plant extracts.
  
  ⸻
  
  3. GC–MS/MS
  • Application: Volatile and semi-volatile compounds — essential oils, fuels, solvents, and pollutants.
  • Solves: Food safety, fuel adulteration, and environmental contamination analysis.
  
  ⸻
  
  4. ICP–MS (or ICP–OES/AES)
  • Application: Multi-element trace metal quantification (ppb level).
  • Solves: Heavy-metal pollution from mining, food contamination, and drug elemental profiling.
  
  ⸻
  
  5. FTIR (ATR-Equipped)
  • Application: Functional group determination, quality control, and molecular fingerprinting.
  • Solves: Rapid compound classification in synthesis and natural product analysis.
  
  ⸻
  
  6. UV–Visible Spectrophotometer
  • Application: Quantification, enzyme kinetics, and teaching tool for Beer–Lambert law.
  • Solves: Drug quantification, antioxidant assays (DPPH, FRAP), and photochemical kinetics.
  
  ⸻
  
  7. Elemental Analyser (CHNS/O)
  • Application: Elemental composition verification.
  • Solves: Confirms purity and molecular formula of synthesized compounds or natural isolates.
  
  ⸻
  
  8. Electrochemical Workstation (Potentiostat/Galvanostat/Voltammetry)
  • Application: Sensor and biosensor development, corrosion studies, redox analysis.
  • Solves: Fluorescent sensor validation for pollutants and biological analytes.
  
  ⸻
  
  9. Fluorescence Spectrophotometer (Steady-State & Time-Resolved)
  • Application: Fluorescent dye/sensor characterization, quantum yield, and lifetime studies.
  • Solves: Development of BODIPY-based chemosensors, bioimaging, and environmental monitoring.
  
  ⸻
  
  10. X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD, Powder or Single-Crystal)
  • Application: Crystal structure determination and phase identification.
  • Solves: Solid-state characterization of natural products, metal complexes, and catalysts.
  
  ⸻
  
  11. Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC)
  • Application: Thermal stability and decomposition studies.
  • Solves: Stability analysis of drug formulations, composites, and polymeric materials.
  
  ⸻
  
  12. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with EDX
  • Application: Surface morphology and elemental micro-analysis.
  • Solves: Characterization of nanomaterials, MIPs, catalysts, and soil particles.
  
  ⸻
  
  13. High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC with PDA/Fluorescence Detector)
  • Application: Separation and quantification of non-volatile analytes.
  • Solves: Purity check of extracts, separation of isomers, and drug formulation QC.
  
  ⸻
  
  14. Raman Spectrometer
  • Application: Complementary vibrational spectroscopy for structure elucidation.
  • Solves: Real-time, non-destructive identification of materials and biological molecules” The Challenge the SCIENCES have is procurers who will inflate figures so much that (I mean so much that government don’t want to turn their eyes to sciences) often times don’t even know the instruments and tools but search the web for anything - mostly inferior ones for quadruple or more of the price of the genuine . The Scientist to deal directly with instruments manufacturers to obtain what helps their research. These measures will cut done cost and help Science thrive. And in that sense, we are also pleading with the government of Ghana to help scientist buy their chemical reagents/solvents and take away taxes to make it with easy for scientific works/research but also check intruders who use the opportunity do their own things. Scientists are really struggling to do research. Let the government come in first to help the Universities and others institutions in science and we can get good grant from outside for research to help our country. We also need government to have memorandum of understanding with the US, China, India, Turkey to help our science. This conscious effort will make our sciences grow and all the applications that lead growth and development will be very visible. Thanks again for the opportunity. Just help science and we will see the changes we need.- Dr Robertson Akrofi-UCC, Chemistry Department

  reply
• TC 2 months ago

  Very true submission but u must also know that in Africa most projects lack funding and to build actual systems to solve problems involves money, so since we can't build we must as well direct people who can afford

  Very true submission but u must also know that in Africa most projects lack funding and to build actual systems to solve problems involves money, so since we can't build we must as well direct people who can afford

  reply
• Paa kwesi 2 months ago

  I love this article it speaks to Africa's problem.
  Congrats for speaking the truth

  I love this article it speaks to Africa's problem.
  Congrats for speaking the truth

  reply
• Solomon Danbauchi 2 months ago

  Good piece
  The writer should have made depository in context.
  What environmental, policies political factors militate against what was painted.
  Medical Colleges produce consultants are exported out of shores of our countr ...
  read full comment

  Good piece
  The writer should have made depository in context.
  What environmental, policies political factors militate against what was painted.
  Medical Colleges produce consultants are exported out of shores of our country, they are even sort for, ditto Pharmacist, Nurses and other professionals.
  How many entrepreneurs and businesses are ready or encourage such, they prefer importation.

  reply
• Hussein Sharali 2 months ago

  This is the best piece of writing ever. Thanks.

  This is the best piece of writing ever. Thanks.

  reply
• Kofi 2 months ago

  As if it professors that built the West

  As if it professors that built the West

  reply
• Isaac 2 months ago

  Look,you are not just a writer but a deep thinker.
  You've said it and I'm with you, kudos

  Look,you are not just a writer but a deep thinker.
  You've said it and I'm with you, kudos

  reply
• Samuel Blandes 2 months ago

  Whom to blame African syndrome.
  If foreign countries are using those African publications to meet their needs,then its not a problem of academicians but Africa governments,big firms,state corporations,they do not invest in ...
  read full comment

  Whom to blame African syndrome.
  If foreign countries are using those African publications to meet their needs,then its not a problem of academicians but Africa governments,big firms,state corporations,they do not invest in science and technology. May be Africa is suffering from colonial hangover.Its a time to wake up.

  reply
• ARNOLD ARYEE 2 months ago

  Hi :
  
  I disagree with you . Either you Publish or you Perish in the Academic world .
  
  Most Nobel Price Winners were Selected based on their Publications which were published many many years earlier and others have ...
  read full comment

  Hi :
  
  I disagree with you . Either you Publish or you Perish in the Academic world .
  
  Most Nobel Price Winners were Selected based on their Publications which were published many many years earlier and others have used the publications to develop practical innovations useful to mankind.
  Note: Publication in Academic world is not an Issue of being an African or not. Wake up . I myself have read and used some old publications in real practical work .
  God Bless. Thanks. Nii Ayi.

  reply
• Peter Nzuki 2 months ago

  The article is very inspiring as it touches on what really matters to society. Publications that do not result in processes, tools or innovations that do not help in improving the quality of life are of no value.

  The article is very inspiring as it touches on what really matters to society. Publications that do not result in processes, tools or innovations that do not help in improving the quality of life are of no value.

  reply