Lagos: Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos, has announced its hosting of the Lagos Studies Association (LSA) Conference as a significant opportunity to project Africa’s potential to the global community through scholarship, research, and intellectual engagement. At a news conference on Tuesday, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Clement Kolawole, highlighted that the conference has become a key platform for discussions on Africa’s future and development.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the LSA was established a decade ago in New York by African scholars aiming to create a forum for examining Africa’s realities, challenges, and prospects through knowledge production and academic discourse. After its inaugural edition in the U.S., the association decided that conversations about Africa should be held on the continent, leading to subsequent conferences being relocated to Nigeria.
Kolawole expressed that hosting the LSA Conference has connected Trinity University to global intellectual networks, fostering partnerships, scholarly exchanges, and meaningful conversations that advance Africa’s development agenda. He mentioned that the university is honored to host the 10th edition, with participants already arriving from different parts of the world for the conference.
He further explained that the event would feature seminars, symposia, cultural exhibitions, and scholarly discussions. Africa’s importance in global development due to its human and natural resources was also emphasized, noting that the continent could no longer be ignored in international conversations about economic growth and innovations.
Kolawole stressed that Africa has critical mineral resources required by developed nations and a growing youth population capable of driving future global progress if adequately empowered and integrated into development strategies. He noted that showcasing Africa’s culture, civilization, intellectual traditions, and development aspirations would encourage greater collaboration and investment opportunities.
In his remarks, Co-founder of LSA, Prof. Saheed Aderinto from Florida International University, U.S., stated that the conference would deepen conversations on Africa’s place within the global knowledge system. The theme, ‘African Studies in the 21st Century’, aims to assess the growth of African Studies as an academic field and examine the association’s contributions to its advancement.
Aderinto highlighted that the conference would strengthen Africa’s place within global knowledge systems by creating opportunities for critical engagement, collaboration, and innovative thinking among scholars from diverse backgrounds. He also mentioned the economic benefits of the conference, noting that the influx of international participants would contribute to tourism and local economic activities.
He added that the association provides a safe platform for rigorous discussions on pressing African issues, including migration, identity, xenophobia, and social cohesion, while encouraging evidence-based solutions. Aderinto emphasized that these conversations are vital in addressing contemporary challenges facing Africans and shaping new perspectives capable of influencing policy and public understanding.
Aderinto concluded that the conference would be free and open to members of the public, including students and researchers.