News and Events
NISER Celebrates at End-of-Year Party
NISER Convenes Reflection Seminar on Nigeria’s Interconnected Crises
On December 16th, NISER researchers gathered for a Reflection Seminar on Nigeria’s current state, the multiple challenges faced by citizens, and the interconnections of these challenges.
The purpose of the forum was to facilitate an open, informed, and solutions-oriented dialogue on how Nigeria’s multiple challenges intersect, considering also the sensitive context of an approaching election year, and its potential for escalating some of these challenges.
As the event began, the NISER Director-General, Prof Antonia Simbine, set the framing for the event, describing Nigeria’s current condition as a web of crises rather than isolated challenges. She highlighted how rising insecurity, high cost of living, unemployment, weak institutions, inequality, climate pressures, and a breakdown of long standing social norms and values among youth, interact to shape citizens’ everyday experiences and constrain development outcomes. Corruption was identified as a central driver and amplifier within this web, distorting public policy, weakening service delivery, undermining accountability, and eroding trust in institutions. While acknowledging government efforts to address insecurity and stabilize the economy, she noted that Nigeria remains in a critical risk position, raising concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of existing responses.
Against this backdrop, she explained the rationale for NISER’s Collective Reflection Session as a deliberate move away from siloed analyses toward integrated thinking, that because citizens experience these challenges simultaneously, research and policy responses must also be holistic. The session was thus conceived as an intellectual space for NISER researchers and staff to reflect on Nigeria’s current realities, share insights from research and lived experience, interrogate why policy interventions often fall short, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and clarify NISER’s role in shaping coherent, evidence-based pathways toward a more secure, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria.
In the following discourse, the Head of the Knowledge Management Department (KMD), Prof Andrew Onwuemele, guided NISER researchers in plotting a graphic web of the challenges Nigerians are facing. During the interactive plenary session, Researchers identified other challenges aside those indicated in the background paper. Furthermore, they opined on the interconnections among the challenges (nodes) in the web. Interconnections were interrogated for clarity and applicability to reality. The most pressing challenge identified by 87% of researchers was Insecurity. This was closely followed by corruption, unemployment, and the high cost of living.
At the parallel break out session, researchers further explored what turned out to be the four biggest nodes in the web- Insecurity, Corruption, unemployment and high cost of living. Researchers explored the drivers of these crises, as well as existing leverage points for policy or collective intervention.
The output from the group discussions are available in a brief. Click the link below to download.
NISER Hosts Director of the Centre for Race, Gender and Class, University of Johannesburg, Strengthening Academic Collaboration
The Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) on Monday, 24 November 2025, welcomed Professor Tinuade Ojo, Director of the Centre for Race, Gender and Class (CRGC), University of Johannesburg, South Africa, on a courtesy visit aimed at deepening institutional collaboration in research, training, and academic exchange.
The visit, held at the NISER Board Room, was hosted by the Director-General, Professor Antonia Taiye Simbine, alongside senior members of NISER management and research staff. The engagement aligned with NISER’s mandate to foster high-quality research partnerships that support national and continental development.
Purpose of the Visit
Professor Ojo’s visit sought to explore opportunities for joint initiatives between NISER and CRGC, including:
Joint research projects and academic publications
Staff exchange programmes
Collaborative proposals for externally funded research
Joint policy conferences, webinars, capacity-building workshops
Opportunities for NISER staff to enrol in short learning programmes at the University of Johannesburg
Highlights of the Discussions
During the meeting, Professor Ojo emphasized the strong potential for collaboration, citing past successful engagements with NISER researchers. She shared upcoming initiatives at CRGC—including a Global Excellence Status Project on Energy Poverty for Africa, focusing on the experiences and coping mechanisms of women affected by inadequate electricity supply.
She also expressed the Centre’s interest in making the NISER DG a mentor and possibly a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, which would support ongoing academic exchange.
In her remarks, Professor Simbine welcomed the collaboration, noting its importance in expanding research networks and improving global visibility for Nigerian scholars. She highlighted NISER’s ongoing externally funded projects, including the MacArthur-funded Behavioural Change to Corruption project and the Mastercard-funded Youth in Indigenous Enterprises study.
She also stressed the need to integrate gender perspectives into research, even though the Institute does not maintain a standalone gender department.
Input from NISER staff touched on key areas for collaboration, including:
Integrating rural women’s perspectives into energy poverty research
Exploring research on ageing
Examining conflict and its effects on women and children
Professor Ojo responded by sharing recent CRGC research on positive masculinity, ageing, digitalization gaps among rural women, and gender-focused interventions in mining communities.
Both institutions agreed on the importance of continuous communication, formation of a joint committee to prioritise short-, medium- and long-term collaborative activities, and exchange of signed MoU documents.
NISER researchers were encouraged to take advantage of short-term study and training programmes offered by CRGC, and to explore opportunities for joint advocacy and knowledge-sharing.
NISER Strengthens Research Collaboration: Signs MoU with James Hope University
The Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has taken another significant step in advancing its mandate for evidence generation through policy research, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with James Hope University (JHU), Lagos. The agreement, formalised on Thursday, November 20, marks the beginning of a strategic partnership focused on joint research initiatives, academic exchange, and co-creation of knowledge across areas of shared interest.
The Director-General of NISER, Prof. Antonia Taiye Simbine, paid a working visit to the university, at which the MoU was signed. The Vice Chancellor of James Hope University, Prof. Austin Nosike, welcomed the partnership and highlighted its potential to enhance scholarly engagement. The five-year agreement provides a clear framework for cooperation, including the joint hosting of policy dialogues, conferences, seminars, and other knowledge-sharing platforms. These activities are expected to bring together researchers, policymakers, development practitioners, and private-sector actors to interrogate emerging governance and policy issues central to Nigeria’s development agenda.
Prof. Nosike also noted that the MoU does not confer financial or legal obligations on either party beyond what is expressly stated in the agreement. He explained that termination of the MoU can only occur in line with specific provisions outlined in the document and must be based on written communication by either party.
For NISER, the partnership reflects the Institute’s ongoing efforts to expand its research networks, strengthen knowledge co-production, and enhance its role as the Federal Government’s premier think tank on socio-economic issues. With this collaboration, both institutions are poised to leverage their respective strengths in research, training, and policy engagement to address complex national challenges and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s development trajectory.
Strengthening Qualitative Research Capacity: NISER Hosts NVivo Training for the Youth Futures Project
In a bid to enhance the qualitative research capability of its team, the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) recently organised a targeted training for researchers engaged in the Youth Futures in Dignified and Fulfilling Work in Africa Project. The session was designed to build proficiency in qualitative data analysis and the use of software tools such as NVivo, enabling the research team to extract meaningful insights from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions that were taken during the just-concluded field exercise.
The training occurred from October 24-26, 2025 and was facilitated by Dr David Akeju, a health systems management specialist and lecturer from the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos. Over the course of the 3-day training, he outlined and explained the forms of qualitative research and how they can be carried out effectively.
Participants were engaged in hands-on exercises based on real interview data obtained from the fieldwork and were given opportunities to practice coding transcripts, developing themes, and organising findings in NVivo.
Several participants described how the training bridged the gap between collecting qualitative data and translating it into relevant themes and narratives. Others highlighted how the technical skills freed them to focus more on the meaning behind the responses rather than getting bogged down in manual organisation.
With youth employment and enterprise being such a key dimension of the Youth Futures project, the richness of the qualitative data — in particular the voices of young entrepreneurs operating indigenous enterprises in informal settings — demands rigorous and coherent analysis. The training ensures that NISER’s outputs will not only capture the breadth of experience but also the depth of meaning: motivations, challenges, strategies, and aspirations embedded in the lived realities of young Nigerians.
Now that the training has concluded, the research team is poised to move into full-scale qualitative analysis. The next steps include finalising coding frameworks and completing systematic coding of all transcripts.
NISER remains committed to leveraging strong methodological foundations to ensure that the Youth Futures project delivers actionable knowledge — not just for researchers, but for policymakers, enterprise support actors, and perhaps most importantly, the young people whose futures we seek to understand and support in this study, funded by the Mastercard Foundation.
NISER DG Joins #WALKAWAYCANCER 2025 to Amplify Cancer Awareness and Action
On Saturday, October 25th, 2025, the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) joined advocates and supporters of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation for the 11th anniversary of the #WALKAWAYCANCER campaign.
The event, led by Dr. Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, wife of the Honourable Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, brought together public officials, researchers, and health advocates to raise awareness about cancer prevention and control in Nigeria.
NISER’s Director-General, Prof. Antonia Simbine, represented the Institute at the walk, reaffirming NISER’s commitment to evidence-based policy research that contributes to public health and national development. Dr. Bagudu, who currently serves as President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) (2024–2026), continues to lead global and national efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through advocacy, early detection, and improved access to care. UICC is the world’s oldest and largest membership organization dedicated to coordinated global action against cancer.
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization [1]. In Nigeria alone, estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest there were over 127,763 new cancer cases and nearly 80,000 deaths by 2022 [2]. Breast, cervical, and prostate cancers remain the most common, and late detection continues to be a major challenge.
A recent story shared by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour [3], who spoke candidly about her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer, underscores the importance of early detection and proactive health checks. Her message, that “early diagnosis saves lives,” resonates strongly with campaigns like #WalkAwayCancer.
As NISER joins the call to action, the Institute emphasizes the need for stronger research-policy linkages, public health education, and investment in preventive healthcare systems to address Nigeria’s growing cancer burden.
Further Reading
[1] World Health Organization (2025) Cancer: Fact Sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
[2] International Agency for Research on Cancer (2025) Nigeria Fact Sheet. Global Cancer Observatory. https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/populations/566-nigeria-fact-sheet.pdf
[3] CNN host Christiane Amanpour battling cancer again and urges people to ‘listen to their bodies’ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christiane-amanpour-cnn-ovarian-cancer-b2851561.html
How can we help you?
Contact us at the NISER office nearest to you or submit an inquiry online.
