The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife;
Bayero University, Kano, and the Benue State University, Makurdi, are
now among Nigerian universities that have won grants in the ongoing
World Bank-assisted Africa Centres of Excellence project.
This brings to 10 Nigerian universities involved in the ACE projects in Africa. There are 18 such projects on the continent.
The project that attracted the grant for
the OAU is tagged “A Model for National Science Technology and
Knowledge Park Initiative, STEM”, while BUK and BSU are involved in dry
land agriculture, and food technology and research, respectively.
The National Universities Commission,
which stated this in its Monday bulletin, noted that seven Nigerian
universities had earlier emerged among the 15 African universities
selected for the ACE projects.
The universities were selected after the
bank’s Project Steering Committee, which met in Dakar, Senegal, last
October 28, assessed their different proposals.
The other beneficiaries are the
Redeemer’s University, Mowe, Ogun State; University of Ibadan, Oyo
State; African University of Science and Technology, Abuja; Federal
University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria;
University of Jos, Plateau State; University of Benin, Edo State, and
the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The governments of Nigeria, Benin
Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal and Togo, alongside the
World Bank, inaugurated the initiative in 2013 to promote regional
specialisation among the participating universities.
It is also aimed at strengthening the capacities of the universities to deliver quality training and research.
The OAU Public Relations Officer, Mr.
Abiodun Olarewaju, in a statement on Monday, confirmed that the
university received $8m for the OAK Park project.
In the statement, Olarewaju quoted the
university Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, as saying that the
OAK-Park was to “create a nationally-recognised and
internationally-acknowledged model for uptake and commercialisation of
research and technology, which will advance the growth of the nation’s
industry.”
Omole said the centre would ensure the
systematic incubation of research ideas and products from the university
and other partnering institutions in West African.
He said, “The objective is to annex the
creative and innovative energy of the teeming youths into
entrepreneurial endeavours by using appropriate skill-enhancing training
and mentoring. Specifically, the OAK-Park facility, among other things,
will aspire to stimulate creativity and excellence in research and
innovation, expand learning opportunities for OAU staff and students
and, indeed, other researchers from the region.
“The centre is also geared towards the
developments of the next generation of scientists, researchers,
teachers, entrepreneurs and product developers through appropriate
practice-anchored capacity building measures. These include industrial
immersion schemes, leverage on industry resource support for critical
skills development of academics, students and researchers, as well as
targeted status enhancement training for industry staff in the
university system.”
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