Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan (UI), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the North West University, South Africa, to promote collaboration on academic activities and strengthen mutual understanding, among other things.
The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, disclosed this while receiving the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, North West University, South Africa, Professor Ushotanefe Efe Useh, on a courtesy visit to his office.
Prof. Adebowale, while appreciating Prof. Useh, an alumnus of UI, for coming back to his alma mater, reiterated that the university is ever proud of the quality of its alumni who are widely recognised globally and are thriving in the field of research and innovation, noting that UI needs its alumni and friends of the university to look back and support the institution.
He restated that the University of Ibadan is transiting into a postgraduate institution, where cutting-edge research will be carried out to sustain the nation, and gradually reducing its undergraduate admission while increasing its postgraduate admission quota.
The VC stated that UI, which has a vision of collaborating with African universities, is a member of African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), and also has affiliations with the Pan African University with its Life, And Earth Sciences Institute situated at the University of Ibadan.
Professor Adebowale disclosed that UI has a strong Office of Alumni Relations created to document the alumni of the university digitally for seamless communication and collaboration with the university, noting that UI has a number of its alumni as adjunct lecturers who are adding value to the university, and therefore extended an invitation to Professor Useh for such a collaboration.
He noted that the MoU signed between the two universities seeks to promote collaboration on academic activities which will strengthen mutual understanding, foster cooperation, and promote sustainable and productive academic collaborations, and exchange between faculties, students and researchers of both institutions in integrated learning programmes.
Earlier, Professor Ushotanefe Useh declared that his visit to the University of Ibadan was a homecoming, saying it was purposely to seek collaboration and strategic partnerships.
He explained that it was the qualifications he obtained from the University of Ibadan that gave him the leverage to lecture in the United Kingdom and saw him advance to his present level in his academic journey, asserting that a degree from the University of Ibadan is top-notch.
Professor Useh said North West University believes in internationalisation, saying with over 40,000 distance learning students, North West University occupies one of the six top universities in South Africa.
He stated that the university has the intention of collaborating with UI to explore the opportunities that exist in areas such as staff and students exchange, dual qualification considerations, industrial collaborations, and private partnerships.
Olusola Akintonde