Professor Ben Honyenuga, Vice Chancellor of the Ho Technical University, has called on heads of states in Africa to work towards elevating research on the continent.
He said Africa was behind in the field of research, and underscored the need for countries to secure resources to fund research, which remained at the centre of development.
The Vice Chancellor said this when he opened a week long workshop in Ho on innovative and quality research methods organised by the Association of African Universities (AAU) in collaboration with the University for heads of selected tertiary institutions.
He said the University's management vigorously pursued its strategic objective to internationalise the institution, and that hosting the conference signified its determination to deliver quality education to its stakeholders.
"HTU is determined to be the flagbearer of quality tertiary education across Africa, and with collaborators like the AAU, we should be able to reach our benchmark," he stated.
Dr Violet Makuku, Quality Assurance Specialist at the AAU, said higher educational institutions in Africa needed more funding support to enhance quality education towards addressing its developmental challenges.
"Grants from institutions for research are inadequate and we need more to enhance quality. As the poorest continent, Africa needs to revive its higher education systems to produce home-grown solutions to overcome its myriad developmental challenges," she said.
Dr Makuku said to improve graduate quality, "proper" teaching coupled with relevant research remained a requirement, and that the AAU was on a mission to ensure that African countries invested "heavily" in quality research and teaching.
She said for its achievements, the African Union Commission had appointed the AAU as coordinator of the Continental Education Strategy for African Higher Education, and called on stakeholders to take advantage of the activities of the Association for "maximum" benefit.
Dr Makuku said the workshop would enhance the research skills of participants and enrich the curricula of their institutions.