To strengthen national and institutional frameworks for research ethics and integrity in Nigeria, the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has visited the Premier University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State, Nigeria.
During the visit, the IHVN team was led by the Chief Operating Officer and Principal Investigator of the EXCEL RITE Project, Dr. Charles Olalekan Mensah, who met with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Professor Oluyemisi A. Bamgbose represented by the Director Research Management Office, Prof. A.S. Jegede.
Dr. Mensah stated that the visit was to advocate for the adoption of recommendations of the communique from the EXCEL-RITE conference held in April 2025. The conference was organized in collaboration with the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) along with other institutions to promote research integrity in the country.
“The reason we came is to advocate for a research integrity office so that students, fellows, post-docs can be supported in fostering a culture of responsible research,” Dr. Mensah said.
He formally presented the conference communique to the University don, alongside a team of research ethics leads from different faculties in the University. In his response, Prof. Jegede said that the university has been in the forefront of capacity building for research ethics in the country.
“The university will be 77 years in November. Presently, we have 33 faculties, two colleges, and 40 departments. The university has been in the forefront of research ethics in West Africa because the grant that established bio-ethics training in West Africa was established in the university.”
He expressed the university’s willingness to collaborate with IHVN to strengthen institutional frameworks for research ethics.
“We already have a structure. The formal organization of a research ethics committee in the country probably started from here. University of Ibadan has supported other institutions to establish their research ethics committees in capacity building and supplies. We are very much supportive of what you are here for,” he said.
Project Coordinator of the EXCEL-RITE Project, Dr. Nnakelu Eriobu said that the visit to the university is the first in a series of planned strategic engagements with institutions, stakeholders and policy makers to facilitate the implementation of recommendations from the Exploring Xcellence in Collaboration, Ethical Conduct and Leadership for Research Integrity through Empowerment (EXCEL RITE) initiative.
