“What Drives Progress in Nigeria? A personal reflection” by emmannaemeka

I recently had a thought-provoking conversation about progress studies in the Nigerian context. One core question we kept returning to was this: What actually drives progress in Nigeria? From my experience, the answer is rarely the government. In many sectors where the state should be leading—healthcare, science, infrastructure—the reality is stagnation. Corruption and personal interests often override any semblance of strategic policy or institutional continuity. When progress happens, it is because individuals choose to push through the friction. I want to offer a case from Nigeria, where I lead a project focused on bacteriophage research—a rapidly advancing field globally, with major implications for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and biosecurity. In countries like the US and many in Europe, phage therapy is beginning to receive government attention. Agencies are investing in infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and translational science. In Nigeria, however, researchers are on their own. There [...] --- First published: May 23rd, 2025 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/K4eBoHpEJtHBtDKhN/untitled-draft-z8ee --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.