‘How UK universities generate billions from Nigerian brains’

…as ‘Nigerian universities generate certificates the economy cannot use’

By Egufe Yafugborhi

There is a painful paradox haunting Nigeria’s ivory towers.
The same Nigerian professor who struggles to get his research paper published at home becomes a patent holder, a company founder and a billion-dollar value creator once he lands in Oxford, Cambridge or London.

Why? Rights activist and Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition, Zik Gbemre, in a recent travel appraisal, provided the blunt answer in his findings capped, ‘Why UK Universities Generate Billions While Local Academics Struggle At Home’.

Gbemre noted: “There is an ongoing debate about the productivity of Nigerian universities and their academic staff.
“Compare top UK institutions such as the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University College London (UCL) to Nigerian universities, the difference in financial contribution and job creation is staggering”.

The activist puts figures to the debate: “A single top university in the UK like Cambridge generates around £30 billion (38 billion USD) annually for the UK economy and supports over 86,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“Put that into context: The economic output of just two or three top UK universities combined exceeds the entire annual national budgets of most West African nations.”

The question then is not whether Nigerian academics are brilliant. They are. The question is why that brilliance does not translate to wealth at home.

According to Gbemre, the answer lies in how UK universities make money.

“Unlike local institutions that rely almost entirely on government budget allocations or basic tuition, UK universities operate as high-value commercial enterprise hubs. They generate wealth through five main streams,” he explains.

He lists them: “Patent Licensing & Royalties: Universities own the patents to scientific discoveries made in their labs. “Global corporations pay millions in royalties to use these inventions.”

“Spin-Out Companies: When professors discover a breakthrough (like a new drug or algorithm), the university creates a real business around it. UK university spin-outs generate over £12 billion annually and hire thousands of people.

“High-Value Industry Contracts: Companies like Rolls-Royce, Pfizer, and Boeing pay universities millions to conduct specialized research or use their advanced lab equipment.

“Education as an Export: International students pay premium tuition. Beyond tuition, they spend billions on housing, food, transport, and local businesses.

“Endowments & Investments: Wealthy institutions invest billions in real estate, venture capital, and stock markets, earning millions in passive returns every year.”

Nigeria in reverse model

In Nigeria, the model is reversed. Universities wait for allocation. They collect tuition that barely covers diesel. Research ends in a library shelf.

The second big difference, Gbemre argues, is what a job really means in the varsity system.

“The UK university model creates productive, high-value jobs rather than administrative seats created just to fill portfolios,” he says.

He is specific: “Technology Transfer Managers: Experts who turn academic research into commercial patents and negotiate deals with private companies.

“Lab Scientists & Researchers: Staff funded directly by private industry grants to develop market-ready products.

“Incubator Leads & Venture Directors: Professionals who run university business hubs and connect student/professor startups with venture capital investors.”

The multiplier effect is huge.

“Every direct job at a top UK university generates roughly 2.8 additional external jobs in the local economy (suppliers, contractors, spin-out staff, and service providers)”, Gbemre measures.

In Nigeria, one appointment often generates one chair and one table, and a queue of personal assistants.
But Gbemre saves his harshest critique for the attitude and incentive problem.

“Is it poor salaries or bad attitude?” he asks. “The reality behind why Nigerian academics shine abroad but struggle at home comes down to a mix of attitude, incentives, and infrastructure.”

He explains the contrasting incentive structures.

“Abroad, academics are judged on funding secured, patents registered, and industry problems solved. At home, academic promotion has historically favored years served, internal politics, and publishing papers that sit on shelves.

“Lacking Ecosystem: You cannot commercialize research without Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), functional laboratories, reliable power, and venture capital partnerships. Without these, even brilliant ideas die.

“Workplace Culture: Entrenched bureaucracy, resistance to modern performance tracking, and a mindset focused on entitlement rather than value creation heavily hinder productivity.”

It is not that Nigerians are less hardworking.

“Nigerian academics are not naturally unproductive; the system they operate in at home rewards paper titles over tangible economic value,” Gbemre says.

And he concludes with a warning: “Until Nigerian higher education shifts from a ‘degree factory’ model to a ‘commercial innovation hub’ model, universities will continue to drain resources rather than generate wealth.”

That shift is the challenge in Nigeria. Imagine if the University of Benin owned the patent for a malaria breakthrough and earned royalties from every drug sold in Africa.

Imagine if Delta State University churns out a fisheries technology company from its research in the creeks.
Imagine if University of Lagos had venture directors connecting student coders to investors instead of only lecturers reading notes from 1989.

The brain is the same. The Nigerian professor in Cambridge and the one in Abraka both passed through the same secondary school rigour, same JAMB stress.

One landed in a system that says, “What problem have you solved that industry will pay for?” The other landed in a system that says, “How many years have you served and who do you know in the Senate?”

Until that incentive changes, Gbemre harps that UK universities will continue to generate billions from Nigerian brains, while Nigerian universities continue to generate certificates that the economy cannot use.