The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Nigeria (UNILAG), Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS has emphasized the need for continued collaboration with relevant institutions to build a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable pan-African knowledge creation ecosystem.
She made the assertion during a courtesy visit by a team from the African Engineering and Technology Network (AFRETEC), Carnegie-Mellon University to her 10th Floor, Senate House Office on Monday, May 27, 2024. The team including its Director, Dr. Conrad Tucker is in the University to interact with the different AFRETEC teams as part of its goal to drive inclusive digital growth across the African continent.
Welcoming the team that was accompanied by the Director, Office of International Relations, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP), Professor Ismail Ibraheem, the Vice-Chancellor restated the University’s commitment to demand-driven research as well as development of entrepreneurship education and business opportunities to foster startup technology culture for developmental efforts.
Professor Ogunsola was full of appreciation to AFRETEC for its support for the acquisition of Coursera training licenses to equip UNILAG staff and students with future-ready skills, up-to-date knowledge, and relevant certifications to improve their employability, Free-of-Charge (FOC).
While stating the success stories of the University in terms of skill acquisition, the Vice-Chancellor highlighted the University’s vision to foster entrepreneurship as well as support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.
Her words “As part of our mission, we have been able to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive business landscape. We will continue to nurture that culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among our students and the wider community” she added.
In his response, Dr. Tucker thanked the institution’s management for its support for the Carnegie-Mellon University project, AFRETEC to impact its workforce. While pointing out other possible areas of collaboration and mutually beneficial ventures between the two bodies, he reiterated the Network’s commitment to continue to develop and promote progress in teaching and learning methodologies to prepare African Engineering students with the skills and capabilities required for digital transformation.
Thereafter, Professor Ibraheem gave a brief graphic summary of the African Engineering and Technology Network support to the University via a presentation. The presentation revealed that more than twenty-seven thousand (27,000) hours have been dedicated towards the Coursera learning platform by both staff and students of the institution, with Two thousand Two Hundred and Seventeen (2217) completing their online courses.
The African Engineering and Technology Network (AFRETEC) is a pan-African collaboration of technology-focused African Universities. Founded in 2022 with support from the Mastercard Foundation, AFRETEC is a consortium of six universities that seeks to promote inclusive digital transformation of Africa through a range of programs, research activities, and infrastructure upgrades in universities in Africa. The six universities in the consortium are America University Cairo, Egypt; Carnegie Mellon University Africa; University of Rwanda, Kigali; University of Lagos, Nigeria (UNILAG); University of Nairobi, Kenya; and University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Report: Bayo Salau
Photographs: Samuel Olaifa Dosunmu
