Managing Higher Education for Innovative Research and Sustainable Manpower Development in a fast changing World

The importance of higher education to sustainable national development cannot be overemphasized. In Nigeria, tertiary education is planned and organized among others to; contribute to national development through high level manpower training and to provide accessible and affordable quality learning opportunities in formal and informal education. However, it has been observed that achievement of these goals in Nigeria is becoming increasingly difficult in the face of the current ICT and technologically driven global economy. This paper explored the relationship among higher education, innovative research and sustainable manpower development in Nigeria. The paper equally examined the myriads of problems militating against innovative research and sustainable manpower (in the nation’s tertiary institutions) and make suggestions on strategies that could be adopted to ameliorate the problems. The paper concluded that the provision of quality manpower resources is crucial and strategic for all round development of the nation and that higher education plays a prominent role in this regard. Hence, innovative research which is the fulcrum of today’s knowledge economy should be encouraged in the higher institutions of learning. This can be achieved by providing adequate fund, integrating digital technology, skill acquisition and computer literacy into the curriculum among others, and ensuring high standards in the quality of facilities and resources supplied to the higher institutions.