Africa’s doctoral education system is facing a fresh examination over prolonged study periods, supervision quality and the limited use of some PhD research to solve problems outside the university.
Researchers raised the concerns in Abuja on Tuesday at a Nigeria In-Country Inception and Design Workshop on transforming doctoral practices and procedures in African universities. The three-year project, led by the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, covers Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia and South Africa. Carnegie has committed $850,000 to the project.
Project Principal Investigator, Prof. Ayo Ojebode, said the initiative would examine both the quality of doctoral training and the experiences of candidates rather than simply seek higher numbers of PhD holders.
He said Africa had a serious shortage of doctoral-level manpower and that the research would identify doctoral models that work, determine why they succeed and explore how useful practices could be adapted across universities.
The study will examine social sciences, humanities and education, with particular attention to supervision, funding, accessibility and the time candidates take to complete their programmes.
Nigeria’s Country Principal Investigator, Prof. Fatai Aremu, placed particular emphasis on the relationship between doctoral research and real-world problems.
He said many candidates begin with a topic rather than a clearly defined problem, creating a gap between the thesis they eventually produce and its potential use by government, industry or communities.
Aremu said the approach should shift “from focusing on topics to focusing on problems”, so that doctoral research begins with issues requiring evidence and practical solutions.
That distinction could affect the value of thousands of theses produced across African universities. A PhD may satisfy an academic requirement, yet its findings can have little influence if the research is disconnected from policy, industry or community needs.
READ RELATED NEWS UPDATES
Aremu also challenged the assumption that academic seniority automatically makes a lecturer an effective doctoral supervisor.
He called for continuous training in supervision, research methodology, problem-solving and emotional intelligence. He said universities also need stronger learning environments, including functional libraries, internet access and research facilities, to help candidates complete their work within the expected period.
The problem of completion time featured prominently at the workshop. Aremu said some candidates spend 10 or even 14 years pursuing doctoral degrees, a situation he said undermines both the student and the university.
PASGR’s research confirms that the challenge is continental rather than confined to one national system. The organisation says African doctoral education continues to face low enrolment and completion rates, inadequate resources and questions about the effectiveness of existing training models.
The project also builds on PASGR’s existing doctoral work. Its collaborative Doctoral in Public Policy programme, launched in 2019 with partner universities including the University of Ibadan, has produced 21 doctoral graduates as of 2026, according to PASGR.
Head of Finance and Administration at PASGR, Constance Mwahunga, said doctoral systems differ significantly across African countries. The project will therefore compare different approaches to identify practices that can improve enrolment, completion, quality and research impact.
The stakes are particularly significant for Nigeria because of the size of its university and research system. Aremu said any substantial transformation of doctoral education in Africa would have to take Nigeria seriously.
The research, thus, seeks to produce evidence on what African universities can change, from supervision and candidate support to research design and institutional facilities, so that a PhD becomes not only a qualification earned after years of study but also a source of knowledge that can be applied to Africa’s development challenges.
