Addressing university leaders, scholars, and international partners, Professor Gyapong emphasized that executive leadership in higher education must be purposeful and focused, as a five-year term provides a brief yet decisive window to build lasting value. “Five years is all you have to be able to make the impact that you want,” Professor Gyapong noted during his address. “You need to be purposeful, you need to be impactful, and you need to leave a legacy within those five years”.

Reflecting on the severe development challenges confronting Africa—ranging from infrastructure deficits and climate change to food insecurity and health crises—Professor Gyapong observed that many African nations remain off-track for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He cautioned that repackaging development milestones into new frameworks like Agenda 2063 risks repeatedly shifting goalposts unless capacity is built directly on the continent. Central to this challenge is a stark regional deficit: while Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for a growing share of the global population, its contribution to the world’s researchers generating scientific knowledge remains small. “In Sub-Saharan Africa, we form about 17.5% of the global population, but we contribute only 1% of research to the generation of knowledge,” Professor Gyapong highlighted. “This is where you and I can make a difference”.

To bridge this knowledge gap, higher education leaders must elevate universities from routine administrative centers into public assets that actively solve local societal problems. Professor Gyapong argued that academic research cannot remain confined to scientific journals; it must be converted into enterprise, public policy, and tangible community solutions. Furthermore, achieving true societal impact requires integrating social scientists alongside natural scientists to ensure that technological and health breakthroughs are effectively adopted by local communities.

He noted that as a continental network of 23 research-intensive universities—including founding member University of Ibadan alongside UNILAG, OAU, and UNN—ARUA is driving this institutional transformation. Through 13 Centres of Excellence and the Africa-Europe 22 Clusters of Research Excellence, the Alliance advances collaborative research across public health, green transitions, urbanization, and artificial intelligence. ARUA also strengthens academic talent by funding early-career and mid-career fellowships, fostering mentorship, and facilitating cross-border scholar mobility. Commending Professor Adebowale’s leadership, Prof. Gyapong cited Adebowale’s guiding philosophy—”Innovate or stagnate”—as the essential mindset needed to overcome institutional complacency.

Looking toward the future, Professor Gyapong emphasized that not all tertiary institutions should attempt to be research-intensive, given the substantial resources required. Instead, governments must establish clear differentiation, enabling dedicated research hubs to scale regional collaboration, expand doctoral graduate output, and share insights with teaching-focused institutions. To secure this future, African governments must honour their commitments to allocate at least 1% of GDP to Research and Development—a target currently missed across the continent, where South Africa leads at approximately 0.7%. Supported by reliable digital infrastructure, guaranteed academic freedom, and equitable global partnerships, strategic investment can transform brain drain into brain circulation, ensuring that African universities power long-term socioeconomic transformation.

Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale will be succeeded by Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, a professor of psychology and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Professor Olapegba, appointed by the University’s Governing Council as its 14th Vice-Chancellor, will assume office on 2 November 2026.