By Ogaga Ariemu Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Mr Chris Maiyaki, has called on African uni...
By Ogaga Ariemu
Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities
Commission, NUC, Mr Chris Maiyaki, has called on African universities to
recognize the value of forging partnerships with institutions worldwide to
address constraints and provide students with skills needed for employment.
Maiyaki advised on Friday, in Abuja, at the 3rd Annual
Conference of the Forum for Innovation in African Universities, FIAU, with the
theme: “Strengthening Africa’s Higher Education in a post-COVID-19 world.”
Maiyaki said by embracing international collaborations; the
universities can tap into a wealth of expertise, resources, and opportunities
for their students and faculties.
While noting that universities across Africa faced a challenge
of resource constraint, he said to address the situation, the institutions
require strategic partnerships.
“Collaboration with governments, private sector entities,
philanthropic organizations, and international development agencies is crucial
in pooling resources, sharing expertise, and creating sustainable funding
models,” he said.
The NUC boss noted that the commission championed the
development of guidelines for implementing Transnational Education, TNE, in
Nigeria to partner with other institutions abroad.
Also, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education,
David Adejo, said there was an excellent prospect for African universities to
progress in the post-COVID-19 era.
Adejo said Africa was fortunate because predictions about
the severity of the pandemic in the continent did come true; however, the
continent has yet to deal with the socio-economic impact of the pandemic
properly.
On his part, FIAU co-founder Prof Pascal Anosike, in his
remarks, said African universities have made remarkable progress in areas of
curriculum review and private sector investment, but more still needs to be
done in widening access and improving employability rate.
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