GIRT sees emerging skills and knowledge-based economy as an engine to empower economic growth and vitality in Sub-Shara Africa. Most Africa’s governments seek for strong educational institutions to support quality workforce development to drive economic growth and entrepreneurship that develop local economy. . In most of Africa, there is greater need for independent institutes that provide knowledge-base economy and education and services in several sectors. The frequency of deaths from common diseases due to lack of well-equipped medical and affordable facilities, blindness due to lack of affordable glaucoma center, absence of basic research that informs agricultural development and manufacturing, frequent recurrence of material and typhoid and deaths caused by these, and the under-development of the youth, etc., make GIRT an imperative tool to address these challenges for broader societal impact.

Yet, typical African universities are more likely to face lack of educational research funding and other socio-political challenges that need to be overcome if they must make meaningful impact in their growth. Most African nations, Nigeria in particular, are yet to make any considerable impact in United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). In the areas of energy and environment, a recent report by the Internation Energy Agency (IEA) calls for greater efforts, including research and development, to achieve universal energy access to the growing African population.