How UK Universities Generate Billions from Nigerian Brains

Zik Gbemre, coordinator of the Niger Delta Peace Coalition, contrasts the limited commercial value of research at Nigerian universities with the economic returns generated by UK institutions. He says Cambridge generates around £30 billion a year and supports more than 86,000 jobs, while British universities earn money from patents, spin-out companies, industry contracts, international students and investments. In Nigeria, he says, universities rely mainly on government allocations and tuition that barely covers costs, while research often ends up on library shelves.