….Assess decade-long relationship

By Adesina Wahab

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, are leveraging a decade-long strategic partnership to tackle global public health challenges, including reducing the about 3.5 million post surgery deaths recorded annually worldwide.
This is just as experts from the two institutions, which are members of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery, met at UNILAG, Akoka, Lagos on Tuesday to further explore ways to improve surgical safety, and strengthen their positions in global university rankings.
Speaking at the stakeholders engagement, the Provost and Vice-Principal at the University of Birmingham, Prof. Nick Vaughan Williams, described the partnership as a strategic alliance focused on addressing some of the world’s most pressing public policy and health challenges, particularly in the area of global surgery.
According to him, the collaboration is aimed at reducing the high risk associated with surgical care worldwide, noting that an estimated 3.5 million people are at risk of death following surgery each year.
“This programme seeks to intervene to reduce those risks and to provide practical solutions that make the surgical environment much safer,” he said.
He explained that over the last 10 years, the partnership between UNILAG and the University of Birmingham has evolved into a strong platform for knowledge exchange, joint research and capacity building, with tangible benefits for students, academics and health systems in both countries.
The collaboration, he added, has also become a key driver for institutional growth and global visibility, stressing that partnerships of this nature are critical to improving university rankings and international standing.
The Provost disclosed that the University of Birmingham is currently ranked 76th in the world and has a clear ambition to be among the global top 50 universities.
He stated that UNILAG shares a similar vision, with a strong aspiration to rank within the global top 200.
“One of the reasons we are here is that the University of Lagos has the same ambition and the same drive,” he said. “By leveraging collaborations like this, we are building strategic partnerships that enhance visibility, reputation and global standing, to the benefit of both institutions.”
Earlier in her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Prof. Afolabi Leshi, explained that its ongoing international research collaborations are directly strengthening student training, improving patient care and helping to address Nigeria’s brain drain challenge through targeted capacity building and programme development.
She stated that a major objective of the collaboration is to build research capacity among the next generation of Nigerian scholars, noting that students have already been empowered to undertake student-led research.
“One of the objectives of the collaboration is to build research capacity in the next generation of researchers,” she said. “Students are being empowered to carry out their own research, which will help them develop the capacity to ask critical questions and provide solutions in the future.”
Speaking on the issue of brain drain in the health sector, Professor of Surgery at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Adesoji Ademuyiwa, said the collaboration offers a pathway to retaining talents in the country.
Ademuyiwa who is also an Honorary Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital,
expressed optimism that sustained partnerships of this nature would strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, enhance surgical training and position the country more prominently in global health research.
Professor Dion Morton, Barling Chair of Surgery at the University of Birmingham, also lauded the transformative impact of a global surgical research collaboration, highlighting its benefits for patients, researchers, and universities across the world.
According to Professor Morton, the studies being conducted by the network are already shaping medical practice globally, benefiting thousands of patients in Nigeria, West Africa, and even in England.
“The real impact of this research is on patients. The results of the studies are influential on every continent and are changing practice as we speak,” he said.