An Exciting Experience as “Online Social Media Reporter for the African University Day 2015 (#AUDAY2015)” : Ghislain BAPPA S. M.

 

“A vision without action is a dream, an action without a vision is a waste of time meanwhile a vision followed by an action can change the world”.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) had a vision which they shared to us, online social media, with regards to the AUDAY2015. It was the main vision for all the team groups mobilized for the event but as far as each and every social media reporter was concerned, one could define and graft  side visions on it for a personal purpose. I for one, visualized that this great vision shall enhance a great change in my social media reporting skills, abilities and capabilities.  I started up in a some sort ofslow motion but as time went by, the level of implication accrued considerably. We were to carry out so many task of different caliber and aim, starting from taking a selfie with a paper on which was written” I am an online social media for the AUDAY2015”, passing through making a picture paste of a university of a town nearest to you, to doing some research on a renowned professor of a university close to you and painting a picture of how you perceive African Higher education institutions in the future. Each of these activities, exciting at their own pace, developed enthusiasm in the heart of all those who gave themselves in the game.

In a month, i upgraded my skills as far as Social media reporting was concerned and i did learn much on the AAU and internationlisation of African Higher Education Institutions as well. it broadened my perception of the african universities in terms of mandates, policies making, decision making, curricula programs given out to youth in various african countries, some renowned lecturers and professors in their respective skill of competencies just to name a few. One thing sure is that we still have a long way to go in order to promote exemplerary young leaders of tommorow, born, grown and formed in Africa, who know their cultures and shall be able to transmit it to the international community no matter where they shall have to express themselves, for their proper sake and that of their nation and continent as well.

With regards to the quality of the team work as far as social media reporting is concerned, many were mobilizd but not much were that proactive to respect at most 75 % of all what were elaborated on the guidelines of the #SMReporting leaflet. To say that, it was worth for the team leaders to get close to every team member to perceive their difficulty or contraints to carry the task properly. Also, it would have been a plus if all the online social media reporter were to follow each other so as to create more visibility and fostering a more cool atmosphere among the members on the thematics outlined. So, it could be much interesting if next time, before launching the process, can gather the whole team for a day to sensitize on the necessity to get involved, create an enticing and joyful environment so that team members and leaders can cooperate for effectively without any worry or fear…

To close it up, it was a real pleasure, for me, for have participated in one way or the other in the fulfillement of the AAU’s vision for the AUDAY2015. Much had to be done to promote the visibility campaign and guess those who felt it the way i did contributed so as to make it a reality. The statistics where amazing to hear and read off after the main event. thus demonstrating our efficiency and effectiveness to render it a success…

Association of African universities (AAU) : #AUDAY2015 : African University Day 2015

Ghislain BAPPA SE Marc, Online #SocialMediaReporter

 

 

My experience as an Online Social Media Reporter for the 2015 African University Day.

As an Online Social Media Reporter for the 2015 African University Day; i experienced a lot of things;

1. I got experience of Volunteering for an international body that sees or govern the operations of higher institution.
2. Secondly i got the chance to work with many group of people and of different calibers like Dr, professors, great lecturers and students from different institution.
3. Thirdly it made me to have the chance to interview and profiled one of the most outstanding lecturer at our local University i.e Prof. Dr Christopher Oyat of Gulu University.
4. The Social Media has increased my efficiency level in responding to work place before me and it has improved my writing skills on the social media and communication skills.
5. It has been fun seeing post from different people all over Africa and the world.

My recommendations

1. The association should give prizes for the volunteers after the exercise.
2. The Association should continue to give certificates to the social media reporters both electronic and hard copy.
3. The association should offer recognition for some lecturers who has greatly contribution to the different developments of Higher Education in Africa in terms of certificates etc.
4. The association should look for scholarship position or offer scholarship for the social media reports.
5. The association should offer exchange visits for the social media reporters.

 

African University Day – Online Reporting experiences

Being appointed an Online Social media reporter for African University Day, on 11th October 2015 grabbed my attention with great excitement.

Though sacrifices were numerous, the benefits were worth the time and commitment. I not only cemented my social media reporting skills but got to learn so much about our very potential continent especially on learning opportunities and challenges.

Of much interest is learning of various great institutions of higher learning , programmes offered and countless opportunities for us to advance of professionalism and vital skills.

I have truly acknowledged the immense potentiality of our institutions of higher learning in steering the economic development for Africa. Though we’ve to agree on the prerequisites which include but not limited to internationalization of the the curricula, focus on research, capacity building and global collaboration.

This great opportunity presented a window to meet and interact with like-minded peers likes of Doreen Musarurwa, Victoria Mbigidde, Juanitta Djoleto, Brenda Mboya, Ghislain, and Epiphane. I with no doubts enjoyed the good challenge we had together.

Like all other social media reporters the expectation to inform the whole continent on the key event on the hashtag #AUDAY2015 as well as other ‘mini’ events was quite exciting.

I have with no reservation acknowledged the informative capabilities of the social media platforms; twitter, blogs, Facebook and Google plus. Our institutions can capitalize on these powerful communication tools to enhance collaboration, consortia and exchange programmes.

On the 21st century, the world is truly a global village. there is every reason for Africa to be one in all aspects. I challenge ourselves to raise the bar for the immediate and future generations.

Informing Africa on the African University Day, which was successfully held on 12th November 2015 at Ashesi University, is an impact-fully  long lasting experience.

 

UI’s biotechnology research strides

UI’s biotechnology research strides have been mainly in the areas of food biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology. In the last decade, these have included: Research on processing cassava and cassava-derived products in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Federal Institute for Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). The utilisation of crude press in the extraction of palm kernel oil. Investigating the possibility of 10 per cent cassava flour in wheat flour for bakery products. The utilisation of solar energy in drying and cooking. Investigating the possibility of 10 per cent cassava flour in wheat flour for bakery products. Utilising imaging techniques for the purposes of quality inspection

Future of African Higher Education: Case Study of the Cameroonian Universities

Each country state has its own policies and development strategies so as to foster a change in the development process of the nation. When taking a look in the central African states in general and Cameroon in particular, considered as “Africa in minor” to say, its richness in terms of natural resources and biodiversity has made of Cameroon, a cornerstone for a sustainable regional states development.

As far as education is concerned, institutional infrastructures be it at the primary, secondary and higher level are being constructed each year due to the accruing youth population density and the quick desire to start up classes. So, does that signify that higher institutions have the necessary capacities to welcome a large number of student’s each year?

Higher education institutions in Cameroon are located in more than 50 % of the regions and it is of recent that subsidiary higher institutions were being created in the other regions of the South and East (just to name a few). Curricula programs in these institutions are diversified and accessible to all. Academic courses are prior in public universities meanwhile professional and technical courses are lectured by private or Para-public investors (depending on the need on the field).  Nevertheless, much still has to be done for our higher institutions to greatly contribute in training and producing genuine for the joy of the nation, Cameroon. What can then be the possible tools that these higher institutions need to deserve so as to upgrade their standards?

Transmitting knowledge to university students is mostly done via board writing or lecturing and those concerned are bound to take down notes remotely. Thus, in most cases induce a weak knowledge acquisition capacity simply and inadequacy to jot down everything properly… E-learning can be a solution to this constraint. This because the concept is digitalized, modernized and visualized thus open- accessed to everybody. Also, one can get trained at home and back-up all the notes and tools so that he/she can come back to it at anytime so as to constantly get educated, formed and informed.

It’s always a plus when one gains experience out of his/her range of studies. Thus, promoting academic and professional mobility programs shall be a great asset in raising awareness on the rate at which activities are being carried out elsewhere. Proactivity, consciousness and entrepreneurial skills are the promising outcomes after such an experience.

Practicing and constantly using social media network (SMN) tools needs to be an asset that higher institutions possess. This because, it opens a gateway for partnership acquisitions when the institution is permanently filling in the content in their social media spaces. Also, notoriety and visibility is accruing via these platforms enhancing lecturers or visitors to always have a look or an interest in what the institution is doing..

Development can’t just be accessible to those living in urabanised zones or peri-uraban areas. reason why, institutions should make it a challenge to extend their curricula to rural zones vai the creation of side-way or subsidiary university branches in decentralized communities or rurral zones so that even those haven little or no means to get the metropoles can get trained in their locality. This of course will promote regional and communal equitability as far as education is concerned.

The last but not the least here is to always think on how to develop the perenity of the institution. Each higher institution needs to develop fundraising plan. This because they have much to do in terms of activities and training. having in mind that all can’t always come from the government, they need to make use of other alternative approach to compensate their funding needs. thus the necessity to bring about a fundraising plan..

Each university has a role to play as well as each nation government has a university to follow up cause they are the “BRIDGE THAT LINKS EXPERTISE AND PROFESSIONALISM”…

Challenges faced by Gulu University as an African university

Gulu University is facing great challenges as seen below;

1. Inadequate office space and learning equipment, especially Lecture rooms for students, this is normally experienced during exams period where both weekend and week day students combine together for the same paper.
2. There is inadequate furniture, especially seats for students; this sometimes makes students to stand while attending lectures and it normally gets worst during exams time where by many students folks the campus for the personal reading who need to have those seats and the students sitting for exams who also require those same seats.
3. Another point of note is the paucity of female staff. The data shows that females constitute only 16 percent of the total staff number.(http://gu.ac.ug/downloads/planning/GULU%20UNIVERSITY%20Annual%20Report%202011-2012.pdf)
4. Serious shortage of academic staff,
5. Lack of avenues for publications and staff lack motivation to publish
6. There were financial constraints therefore some activities could not take place.

Posted by Okot Solomon Nono

@aau_67,  #AUDAY201

Great Contributor: Professor Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi, Gulu University, Uganda

Prof. J.H. Nyeko Pen-Mogi

Founding Vice Chancellor of Gulu University

Gulu University

Faculty of medicine

From his beginnings as a doctor of veterinary medicine performing research in molecular parasitology, Prof. Pen-Mogi has amassed a distinguished career in academic and public administration, and in higher education.

He is a former Member of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, serving Kilak County in Northern Uganda, and a Fellow of the prestigious Uganda National Academy of Science. Dr. Pen-Mogi was the chairman of the task force that developed Gulu University and led to its establishment in 2002, where he now continues to serve as its Vice Chancellor.

He established the School of Medicine of Gulu University in 2004, and has led the university to become the second ranked among public universities in Uganda in production of research and publications. He is also the Chairman of the National Council for Higher Education and of the newly formed, National Environmental Management Agency of the Republic of Uganda.

Prof. Pen-Mogi deserve recognition because it’s his caring and desire that helped to restore the dignity and productivity of the victims of war that spawned vision to create the Biotechnology, Trauma & Disease Treatment Centre at Gulu University, where he now leads the effort as its Executive Chairman and Principal Investigator.

He created a number of relationships between Gulu university and other university like the University of Naples which gave birth to the development of a project proposal named GULUNAP (GULU and NAPLES) which was later submitted to the Italian Embassy in Kampala, Uganda and got some funding which helped in establishing the faculty of Medicine in Gulu University in 2004…..and also in remodeling some old buildings at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, equipped the anatomy, microbiology and physiology laboratories for the University.

Pen-mogi’s contribution help strengthened the tripartite relationships between St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor (a leading private hospital in the country), Gulu University and University of Naples. When the faculty of Medicine started in October 2004, it was not easy to get senior lecturers in medicine willing to come and teach in Gulu University because of the civil war that was at its peak in northern Uganda. But Pen-mogi and through his hard work was able to mobilize senior professors from Italy (University of Naples) who came to Gulu to teach medical students at the university despite the insecurity.

Professor Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi the vice-chancellor of Gulu University deserves recognition for the African University Day 2015

Key ways that the government can support the universities in Uganda

1. The should develop appropriate human resources to match the management and administrative

demands of the public and private Universities in Uganda.

2. They should provide quality training in various disciplines and capacity building to Lecturers.

3. The government should expand  access to scholarship and increase the number of scholarship programs at the University.

4. The government should provide room for digitized system/ICT in  all University to improve the quality of service delivery and to improve records management for example School Management system/Enterprise Resource Planning system to manage the data within the Universities.

5. The government should open ground for Universities to write proposal and implement government projects in the communities as this will no only raise income for the universities but also give the students to acquire professional skills in this kind of work.

Posted by Okot Solomon Nono

#AUDAY2015, @aau_67

Dr. Dominica Dipio is Associate Professor and the current head of Literature in Makerere University

Dr. Dominic Dipio

Name: 

Dr. Dominica Dipio

Title: 

Associate Professor

Department: 

Literature

About Me: 

Dr. Dominica Dipio is Associate Professor and the current head of Literature in Makerere University. she holds an MA in Literature from Makerere University, and a PhD in film criticism from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Her current areas of research are in ritual performance and conflict resolution, folktales and legends and ethnic stereotypes. Her contact is: dodipio@chuss.mak.ac.ug , dodipio@yahoo.com , dodipio@hotmail.com

Launching: ANOTHER DOUBLE WIN FOR AFRICAN FILM AND ORAL LITERATURE

Mr. James Tumusiime (2nd L) flanked by the authors Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio (L) and Dr. Aaron Mushengyezi (2nd R) and emcee Dr. Danson Kahyana (R) launch the two books on 31st October 2014, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda

Category: 

Humanities and Social Sciences

The month of October 2014 ended on a spectacular note when the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) held a double book launch for two of her enormous army of prolific academics and writers. The audience, most of who had to brave the afternoon downpour on 31st October 2014 to make it in time was kept entertained by Mengo Senior School students’ recitals of Kanemu Kanabiri, Mpenkoni and many other traditional play songs as derived from Dr. Aaron Mushengyezi’s Oral Literature for Children book. On the other hand Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio’s book Gender Terrains in African Cinema left the audience more appreciative than ever of the power mothers wield over the African film industry and society in general.

Associate Professor Dominica Dipio the second author of the day is a former Fulbright Research Fellowship and African Humanities Program Fellow who has initiated and coordinated a number of projects such as the Makerere-Bergen Folklore project. Dr. Dipio is a videographer with thirteen titles of both full and short length films to her credit. She has over thirty academic journals and book chapters to her name, her most recent publication being Gender Terrains in African Cinema.

“I came into contact with Film as a Graduate student at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1999. At that time it was being taken as a window into the African world; that is for the outsider and not for the Africa,” said Dr. Dipio in giving a brief background of her inspiration. She defended her choice of Francophone films dating from 1970-2000 for her research because France’s colonial policy supported cultural engagement, which led to a flourishing film industry. “However, a similar process as I have done could be undertaken by students and scholars in East Africa because filmmaking in the region is becoming a very serious engagement” she challenged.

In her analysis of the films, she took inspiration from one African filmmaker who observed that “Evolution is not possible without women’s active involvement and that is especially true of the Arab world. The Arab man has given all he can and his achievements aren’t great. Maybe the Arab woman can reinvent the world… when I look at my mother; I see that her intelligence is intact. She hasn’t had a chance to use it” she read in quoting. Dr. Dipio’s Gender Terrains in African Cinema offers a logical analysis of whether these filmmakers and critics actually “walk the talk” in their films. She was therefore happy to discover that the filmmakers made commendable efforts at representing women and gender issues in a way that challenged the status quo.

– See more at: http://news.mak.ac.ug/2014/11/another-double-win-african-film-and-oral-literature#sthash.ANmefcjn.dpuf

– See more at: http://news.mak.ac.ug/2014/11/another-double-win-african-film-and-oral-literature#sthash.ANmefcjn.dpuf

 

Research Title: Association between suitability of Bra and Pectoral Girdle Myalgia in Nigerian women

Year: (In Progress)2015

Published: International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation

Author:ODEBIYI (DR), DANIEL OLUWAFEMI

Daniel O Odebiyi
Senior lecturer, Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Happiness A Aweto
Lecturer 1, Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Olumide A Gbadebo
Physiotherapy graduate, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Ayodeji A Oluwole
Senior lecturer, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Ayoola I Aiyegbusi
Senior lecturer, Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Matthew O Olaogun
Professor, Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Lester J Lee
Medical student, School of Medical Education, Newcastle University, UK.
Background/Aims:
Bra cup size has been shown to be associated with shoulder–neck pain, or pectoral girdle myalgia (PGM), in women. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PGM in a population of Nigerian women and investigate the association of PGM with the congruence of measured vs reported bra size.

Methods:
A total of 291 females aged 15–50 years completed a 31-item, closed-ended questionnaire, which collected information on biodata, prevalence of PGM, and bra use. Bra size was recorded as reported by the participants and as measured by one of the investigators. A chi-squared test was used to determine the association between age, cup size, congruence of measured vs reported bra size, and occurrence of PGM.

Results:
The 12-month prevalence of PGM was 44% (n=122). Having tightly pulled straps was the factor most commonly reported to worsen PGM (n=75, 58.9%). Removing the bra was the factor most commonly reported to relieve pain (n=94, 73.4%). Of the 252 respondents (86.6%) who claimed to know their bra size, only 63 (25%) were correct when their bra size was measured. Self-selection was the most common method for determining bra size (n=224, 77.3%). There was no association between age, cup size, congruence of measured vs reported bra size, and occurrence of PGM (p>0.05).

Conclusions:
PGM was found to be common among the respondents. The fact that the size of bra worn was largely dependent on self-selection might have been responsible for the high number of respondents wearing wrong-sized bras. Working with the arms elevated had a significant association with the development of PGM (χ2=4.12; p=0.040), a finding that requires further exploration.

Other details can be found online.

http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/10.12968/ijtr.2015.22.9.428