VICE CHANCELLOR, BSU LEADS STAFF TO PARTICIPATE IN AFRICA CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN MAURITIUS

VICE CHANCELLOR, BSU LEADS STAFF TO PARTICIPATE IN AFRICA CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN MAURITIUS

The Vice Chancellor, Benue State University, Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu is leading the Benue State University team to participate in the maiden Africa Centres of Excellence International Partnership Workshop holding at the International Mauritius Resort Balaclava Fort, Mauritius. The workshop with the theme, “Building Pathways Towards Sustainability through Collaborative Research and Innovation” is a gathering of about 400 higher education stakeholders from Africa, Europe and other continents.

As outcome of the strategic collaboration between the Association of African Universities (AAU), Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), the workshop is aimed at creating the needed platform for forging of new partnerships, reinforcing the existing ones, interaction with the private sector and deepening of strategies towards strengthening the sustainability of the ACE initiative.

In his address to the participants at the workshop, the Secretary General of the AAU, Professor Olusola Oyewole applauded the successes achieved under the ACE programme. He noted that the ACE initiative has greatly contributed to the growth and transformation of Africa’s higher education sector. Professor Oyewole called on development partners, industry, governments and other key players to “increase investments in the ACE model and various key initiatives, to advance higher education in Africa to generate the critical mass of human resource required to champion the targets of key blueprints such as the African Union’s Agenda, 2063, the global sustainability goals, and the continental education strategy for Africa”.

At the event, the Director/Centre Leader, Centre for Food Technology and Research, Professor Barnabas A. Ikyô presented key successes of the ACE1 and ACE impact projects on behalf of the Agricultural/Food Centres in West and Central Africa. There were many high-level interactions led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Iorapuu with hope of fostering partnerships that will sustain and deepen the achievements at CEFTER.

The BSU team participating at the workshop is comprised of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Tor Joe Iorapuu, Director/Centre Leader, CEFTER-BSU, Professor Barnabas A, Ikyor, Deputy Centre Leader, CEFTER-BSU, Professor Ogbene Igbum and the Coordinator, BSU Technology Transfer Office (TTO), Dr. Sylvester J. Gemanam.