Uganda National Academy of Sciences

Nigeria’s women vice-chancellors: I know what it’s like to be one, and why there are so few

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
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The secretary-general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria recently disclosed that only 38 women have been vice-chancellors of universities in Nigeria since 1960, out of more than 720 in total. The Conversation Africa asked Ekanem Braide, the Nigerian Academy of Science president and a former vice-chancellor, why this is so and how the country can have more women as university heads. Why are there so few female vice-chancellors in Nigeria?As in other professions, the early career years of young academics in universities coincide with marriage and having children.

Key Points: 


The secretary-general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria recently disclosed that only 38 women have been vice-chancellors of universities in Nigeria since 1960, out of more than 720 in total. The Conversation Africa asked Ekanem Braide, the Nigerian Academy of Science president and a former vice-chancellor, why this is so and how the country can have more women as university heads.

Why are there so few female vice-chancellors in Nigeria?

  • As in other professions, the early career years of young academics in universities coincide with marriage and having children.
  • Most young female academics have to take care of young families, teach, conduct research, publish and generally struggle to climb the academic ladder.
  • Discrimination against women and under-representation of women in leadership positions are deeply rooted in cultural beliefs, values, traditions and attitudes.
  • In my experience, the belief in male supremacy and female subordination remains dominant.
  • Higher value is therefore attached to the boy over the girl even by highly educated men and women.

You have been a VC twice. How did that come about?

  • I did not apply for the position of vice-chancellor in both instances.
  • In 2004, I was invited by Donald Duke, governor of Cross River State, to head the new Cross River University of Technology.
  • I was again invited to serve as pioneer vice-chancellor of Federal University, Lafia and I served from 2011 to 2016.

What advice do you have for women wanting to be a VC in Nigeria?


Female academics who aspire to become vice-chancellors should:
set a personal goal and plan to achieve it
prepare a convincing plan for the university, making it clear what they want to achieve as vice-chancellor
serve well in any position so their name comes to mind
be confident
undergo leadership training
study and be conversant with all mandatory documents guiding operations in the university
be familiar with the roles of the National Universities Commission, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Federal Ministry of Education and other departments and agencies in the university system
apply and prepare adequately for the interview.

How can Nigeria have more female vice-chancellors?

  • Men and women should just change their mindset about women.
  • There are many women who are qualified to serve as vice-chancellors in Nigeria.
  • Second, the government at national and state levels, as well as private proprietors, should consider and appoint women to lead universities.


Ekanem Braide does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill wants to 'rehabilitate' LGBTIQ+ people – African psychologists warn of its dangers

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 1, 2023
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Unfortunately, the practices described in the declaration are included in the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill proposed by Uganda’s parliament.

Key Points: 
  • Unfortunately, the practices described in the declaration are included in the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill proposed by Uganda’s parliament.
  • PsySSA president, professor Floretta Boonzaier, has described the bill to me as “an attack on human dignity, well-being, autonomy and self-determination”.
  • Research conducted in three African countries in 2019 found that half of the respondents suffered some form of conversion.
  • South African psychologists with expertise in sexuality and gender have condemned the bill.

No scientific grounding

    • But he has ignored evidence-based critiques that have been presented to him over the years, dating back to 2010 and 2014.
    • Brouard has said the bill
      is anti-science and represents a backward step in contemporary understanding of human nature.

Perpetuating harm

    • Professor Kopano Ratele, an acclaimed African psychology scholar, said via email that
      the bill is, at its core, inhuman.
    • It seems that the bill is essentially about some people desiring to control the bodies, relationships, and the inner lives of others.
    • It criminalises identity by prescribing prosecution for how people think, feel, identify, and, ultimately, who and how they love.
    • Christian evangelical churches from the US have been directly linked to current anti-LGBTIQ+ ideologies in African countries.

The next steps

    • We call on mental health professionals from across Africa to sign and endorse the declaration and to join the growing chorus of experts who have condemned Uganda’s dangerous bill.
    • The PsySSA Sexuality and Gender Division, for example, has been at the forefront of leading a science-informed critique of the Ugandan bill.