Lawal O. Olohungbebe has stressed that university education must become more practical, skills-driven, and responsive to economic realities if it is to serve as an effective catalyst for poverty alleviation in Africa.

Delivering the 2nd Matriculation Lecture at the African School of Economics (ASE), Abuja, titled "University Education as a Catalyst for Poverty Alleviation," Lawal Olohungbebe examined the poverty trap from both micro and macro perspectives.

He highlighted how individuals are often constrained by limited opportunities while systemic structures continue to perpetuate these constraints.

The central message of the lecture was that sustainable escape from poverty requires functional education one that is practical, skills-oriented, and aligned with current economic needs.

Drawing from his personal experience as a student in Germany, Lawal Olohungbebe reflected on how the absence of hands-on exposure had once limited his ability to fully maximise available opportunities. He used this to underscore the urgent need to bridge the gap between theory and practice in Nigerian and African universities.

He further examined key challenges hindering universities from producing well-equipped graduates and proposed pragmatic pathways for reform.

Lawal Olohungbebe praised the ASE model as a viable framework, noting that it deliberately integrates entrepreneurship, skill acquisition, and financial literacy into the learning process.

"The message is simple but strategic: not just degrees on the wall but value in the hands," he said. He commended the Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, for the warm reception and for his leadership in advancing a model of higher education that aligns with national development priorities.

The lecture was followed by meaningful dialogue and a shared commitment to repositioning university education as a true driver of economic empowerment.