The University Of Lagos-The University of First Choice

City: Akoka, Yaba, Lagos

Country: Nigeria

Web Address: http://www.unilag.edu.ng

The University has built a legacy of academic excellence and is now acclaimed publicly as “The University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride.

Vision

To be a top class institution for the pursuit of excellence in knowledge, character and service to humanity.

Mission

To provide a conducive teaching, learning, research and development environment, where staff and students will interact and compete effectively with other counterparts, both nationally and internationally in terms of intellectual competence and the zeal to add value to our World.

History

Founded in 1962, the University of Lagos has, for over 5 decades, provided qualitative and research-oriented education to Nigerians and all those who have entered its domain in search of knowledge. At its inception, the University of Lagos was empowered to produce a professional workforce that would steer the political, social and economic development of a newly independent country. Over the last fifty years the University has pursued this mission with vigour, excellence and panache. The University has built a legacy of academic excellence and is now acclaimed publicly as “the University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride.”

The establishment of the University of Lagos in 1962 was informed by the need to intensify the training of a professional workforce for a newly independent Nigeria in search of rapid industrialization and economic development. It was however quite evident that the country lacked the requisite workforce to actualize the people’s dream. There was a big gulf to be filled, and that required establishing many more universities.

Towards this end, the Federal Government established the Eric Ashby Commission on Post School Certificate and Higher Education in Nigeria in May 1959. The Ashby Commission’s report, titled Investment in Education, recommended the establishment of a new university in Lagos, the then Federal Capital, to offer day and evening courses in Commerce, Business Administration, Economics and Higher Management Studies. In 1961, the Federal Government assigned the detailed planning of the new university to a UNESCO Advisory Commission. However, whereas the Ashby Commission had envisaged a non-residential institution which would be cited in the business district of Central Lagos, the UNESCO Commission opted for a traditional university, “a complete all encompassing institution” with residential accommodation on a large campus. Following the acceptance of the UNESCO Commission’s report, the University of Lagos was established on 22nd October 1962 on the authority of the University of Lagos Act of 1962.

The Act provided for an eleven-member Provisional Council for the University, a Senate to preside over academic affairs, and a separate Council for the Medical School located at the University Teaching Hospital at Idi-Araba, a few kilometres away from the main (Akoka) campus. This was rather unique for, by authority of the Act, the University consisted of two separate institutions—the main university and an autonomous Medical School. The link between the two institutions was tenuous at best, consisting of reciprocal representation on both Councils and membership in the University Senate by professors in the Medical School.

Development of Faculties

The University began with three faculties: Commerce and Business Administration, Law and Medicine. At its first meeting the Board of the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration changed the name to the Faculty of Business and Social Studies. The faculties of Arts, Education, Engineering and Science were added in 1964.

For the first academic session, 1962/1963, the University admitted 46 students for the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration and 26 for the Faculty of Law. These students received their first lectures on 22 October 1962 at the temporary site in a secondary school at Idi-Araba, adjacent to the Medical School and the Teaching Hospital. 28 medical students had already commenced lectures three weeks earlier on 3 October, 1962. The University moved from its temporary location in Idi-Araba to the Akoka main campus in September 1965. The direction of the University’s future development was consolidated with the promulgation of the University of Lagos Decree in 1967 (Decree No. 3 of 1967). The new constitution created an integrated and more structurally coherent institution by establishing a single Council for the whole university. The previous arrangement had two separate Councils, one for the University and the other for the Medical School.

By the beginning of the 1970s, the University had developed an unwieldy and confusing academic structure in which the faculty system operated alongside the school and the collegiate systems. Law and Engineering were faculties; Education and Medicine were colleges, while Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Environmental Design, Social Studies, Administration, Humanities, and African Studies were schools. On 28 June 1973, Senate finally adopted the faculty system for the whole University, conceding the collegiate system only to the College of Medicine. The re-designation of the College of Education required a constitutional amendment and following the promulgation of the University of Lagos (Amendment) Decree, 1975, it also became the Faculty of Education. The unwieldy system was transformed into the following faculties: Arts, Business Administration, Education, Environmental Design, Science and Social Sciences. The College of Medicine retained both its name and its autonomy.

The School of Postgraduate Studies, whose dramatic growth has attracted the sobriquet, “the Lagoon Lighthouse, was established on 22 July 1981. In 1984, Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta (FUTAB) was merged with the University of Lagos.

The University currently has a School of Postgraduate Studies, a Distance Learning Institute (DLI) and twelve faculties, namely:

Arts, Basic Medical Sciences, Business Administration, Clinical Sciences, Dental Sciences, Education, Engineering,  Environmental Sciences, Law, Pharmacy, Science and Social Sciences.

The University also established autonomous commercial outfits as a means to generating additional revenue. Foremost among these are Unilag Consult and Unilag Ventures.

Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Main office

Registry

Bursary

Academic Planning Unit

Academic Programme Planning Section.

Konza the upcoming Information hub

Konza is a premier information hub currently under execution in Nairobi, Kenya. Phase 1 of this humongous project is set for completion by January 2017.

Konza Technopolis Development Authority is the body steering development of this smart city. The authority recently observed it is keen in involving the institutions of higher learning both local and international to steer innovations, hence sustainable growth.

Currently, three local universities inclined to Science and Technology as well as the renowned Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has shown interest. This is a clear indication that entrepreneurs are recognizing institutions of higher learning to spur economic development for the continent.

Other projects targeted for phase 1 is a park, secondary and primary schools, and office complex which will house state agencies.
There is every reason that Africa needs to come together and acknowledge the role and efforts of our higher learning institutions.

This should serve as a lobby for more support by the governments especially on matters research on Science and Technology to drive the appropriate advancements.

Kenya is proudly the home to the giant University of Nairobi which has ranked so well among African peers and at the world stage. Other universities include Moi University, Jomo Kenyatta of Science and Technology, Kenyatta University, Strathmore University and Zetech University (the newest university) among others.

Zetech University is a premier business and technology university anchored on the mantra “Invent Your Future”. The institution is keen in investing in state of art facilities to efficiently support its academic programmes.

The University Management need to keenly focus on scientific research, to provide remedy to the problem facing our continent.

The African University Day celebrations is set for 12th November 2015. The event will be hosted in Ghana. #AUDAY2015 @aau_67 @KijuguKe

Bindura University Library: Reaching out to the schools

Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) Library is currently involved in a school librarians’ mentorship program whereby University Library staff assist schools in the surrounding community to set up and run school libraries. The school librarians are also trained and given assistance on automating their libraries.

BUSE Library is currently carrying out a study to assess the effectiveness of the programme which has been running for the past four years.

BUSE is a young and innovative university that continues to grow. It recently introduced new degree programmes in disaster management and financial statistics. More new programmes are expected to be introduced soon.

For more information please visit their website: http://www.buse.ac.zw.

@aau_67

#AUDAY2015

Gulu University community counselors helping to improve on mental health services in Northern Uganda.

By Willy Cho woo

In Gulu/Gulu University.

The protracted armed conflict between the rebel Lords’ Resistance Army LRA and Uganda government that lasted for over two decades in the north has led to destruction of infrastructures and lives. Worst among others is the health service.

Notably there have been rampant cases of outbreak of diseases such as Ebola, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B, Suicide and Epilepsy (Nodding syndrome) in the region which claimed dozen of f lives.

Gulu University which started in the year 2003 to transform the region that has been  ravaged by the armed confirmed  has now embarked on  doing a number of research  works to help bridge the gaps have been left by this burden

Emilio Ovuga, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Gulu University says this is the only way to support the health, social and psycho-culture in the region.

Dr.Ovuga who is also a lead consultant for ongoing Research support works at the university says at moment they are involved in doing a number of research works related to mental issues

Some of the research being done include Post-conflict mobility: opportunities for primary health care in post-conflict Northern Uganda.

This study is to determine the patterns of migration and mobility in Northern Uganda in relation to morbidity patterns and the provision of services for non-communicable diseases at community level.

“We are also testing and replicating the feasibility of lay community counselors being able to prevent suicide by providing psychological first aid to individuals in crisis at household level.”, he adds.

The University under this study has so far trained 88 primary health care providers at rural health facilities in Amuru and Districts in Northern Uganda, 54 volunteer lay counselors in Gulu District and 14 research field assistants attached to the Primary Health Care Project in order to promote access to essential basic mental health services in the district and successfully implement the mental health promotion and suicide prevention strategy.

To enhance the success of our initiative, “we have developed district wide referral system from household level to the regional referral hospital in Gulu. We earlier were able to reduce suicide rates in Adjumani district, another post-conflict district in the West Nile region of Northwestern Uganda by 87% over a three year period using volunteer community counselors in 2004-2007.”,Dr.Ovuga narrates.

The ongoing study in Gulu district indicates that trained volunteer lay peer counselors (Village Helpers) are able to reduce suicide rates by at least 75% in less than one year and to have created awareness among the population about the feasibility and effectiveness of early mental

Health care intervention using lay members of the community under the supervision of mental health professionals.

The university is also doing a research on Nodding syndrome: a possible relationship with mycotoxins?

This study is to find the potential role of food contamination with fungi that are known to contaminate foodstuffs at the time of harvest and or storage in Northern Uganda.

Under the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI-MESAU is to contribute to increased number of health workers by contributing to increased undergraduate students admissions to Ugandan medical schools, contribute to retention of doctors in under-served rural areas of Uganda, contribute to increased access to basic health care and to improve the quality of medical education by standardizing medical education at Ugandan medical schools.

The university has completed a number of research among which it include; Neurocysticercosis – a neglected disease in Sub-Saharan Africa under German Research Foundation Project

This was to determine the prevalence, risk factors for epilepsy in Northern Uganda .determine the prevalence of neurocysticercosis among individuals with epilepsy and   to develop a diagnostic serologic test for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis among individuals with epilepsy in Northern Uganda.

Midlands State University embrace Digital Story Telling

Online media has made journalism practice a paperless profession as most journalist work from their computer, from data seeking and gathering until importation, especially considering that publication are either shutting down or sacking employees.

The media practitioners are increasingly becoming jobless in this economically crippled country, Zimbabwe. It is only freelance journalist with proficient online media skills able to withhold and practice their Fourth Estate power despite challenges.

The need to equip media practitioners with computer and Internet proficiency skills has undoubtedly effected in change of university curriculums, to better equip students with relevant and current professional skills.

This year the Midlands State University (MSU) has reintroduced a module in Internet and Cyber publishing after Media and Society Studies student’s inaugural participation in an online reporting training by Mobile Community Zimbabwe (MCZ).

The training which commenced for three months, May-August 2015, equipped the University’s media undergraduates with broadcasting skills that include story gathering, interviewing sources, video shooting and editing, and use of social media platforms like You Tube and Sound Cloud.

“In my capacity as the resident mentor for our 15 students who took part in MCZ 2015, I can say it was a tremendous experience for us. It was eye-opening for myself and the students in the Department of Media and Society studies”, said Ozwel Ureka, MSU lecture.

He added: “The fact that we won the Best Journalism Faculty award, our student Ketty Nyoni won the Best video award and another student of ours, Takudzwa Zuze had his video voted among the best 5 shows how seriously we took this project…. It fits into our vision of creating rounded media practitioners who have cutting edge skills as well as a critical mind”.

MCZ is a Free Press Unlimited project that gives ambitious young Zimbabweans a voice and a platform to share and exchange information through mobile phones, video and social media. The trainees used Story Maker App on Android-enabled smart phones to equip young Zimbabweans from across the country with skills to use their devices to tell compelling stories about themselves and their communities.

From 15 MCZ trainees from MSU, only 10 graduated. Other participants were from National University of Science and Technology and professional journalist from different Media Houses.

Currently the MSC digital story telling graduates are training the rest of the Media department students with Internet and storytelling skills acquired.

After leading nearly 50 Zimbabweans-young professionals, civil society workers, freelancers, bloggers, and budding media producers— through a week-long visual storytelling course, SWN mentored trainees for several months while they produced over 200 video reports published on the MCZ website and Youtube.

“MSU is improving the curriculum to better the education of an African Child in his or her mother land”, said Faith Moyo a media student from MSU.

 

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Bathabile Dlamini

University of Ibadan’s School of Business (UISB)

NAME: UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

CITY/COUNTRY: IBADAN/NIGERIA

WEBSITE: http://www.ui.edu.ng

The dream of establishing a School of Business, with a vision to be a world class school of business promoting creative, innovative, entrepreneurial and economic empowerment of business communities in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, at the University of Ibadan recently became a reality after about 8 years of planning and preparation by successive Administrations of the University. The formal inauguration of the governing board of the UISB took place at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos on 14 August, 2013. The Chairman of the Governing board, Prof Ariyo highlighted key programs that are intended to be offered by the school and these include:

• Executive MBA
• Regular MBA
• Short courses
• Customized workshops
• Consultancy (Offsite and in-plant)
• Research

 

Approximately two years later, the National Universities Commission (a body that defines Minimum Academic Standards, accredit degrees and other academic awards, ensures that quality is maintained within the academic programmes, among many other functions) formally gave its nod for the establishment of the University of Ibadan School of Business (UISB).

In a letter of 9 September, 2015 coded NUC/FAS/AS/FOI/VOL. 11/145 signed by the Commission’s Director of Standards, Dr. G. Kumo, the approval was sequel to the recent resource evaluation visit carried out by a panel of experts to the institution’s proposed School of Business with a view to assessing the human and material resources available for its establishment in a statement by the University’s Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo. The letter reads in part, ” I am directed to inform you that the Management Committee during its 460th meeting held on Wednesday, 9 September, 2015 considered and approved the establishment of the School of Business to be situated on the campus of the University to run Executive MBA with specialization in the under listed (Telecommunication, Agribusiness, Oil and Gas, effective from the 2015/2016 Academic Session.”

 

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, speaking through the School’s pioneer Director, Prof. Adenike Osofisan expressed delight and satisfaction with the approval and thanked the Commission for its expeditious action on the process for the accreditation.

Sources:

http://ui.edu.ng/news/nuc-approves-ui-school-of-business

http://nuc.edu.ng/about-us/

http://advance.ui.edu.ng/news21.php

http://dailypost.ng/2015/09/12/nuc-approves-university-of-ibadans-new-school-of-business/

Université de Dschang (UDS) : Fer de lance dans l’utilisation de l’internet des Universités Camerounaise

Nul ne peut nier l’apport qu’a les outils des Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (NTIC) dans la campagne de visibilité des PMEs, institutions d’enseignement supérieur notamment les universités, les acteurs pour le développement, les privées et même des individus. Cette dernière induit une augmentation de la notoriété de l’organisme concerné auprès des internautes ou la communauté mondiale.

L’Université de Dschang (UDS) dans son optique de promouvoir leurs activités et actions afin de bénéficier des divers avantages qui s’y prête, infime qu’elle soit, à réussi à copté la place de premier université de la zone CEMAC en générale et Cameroun en particulier au sein d groupe de recherche Cybermetrics Lab il y a quelque mois de cela (Juillet 2015).

Mais pourquoi l’UDS et non pas un autre ? D’entre de jeu, Cybermetrics Lab est un groupe de recherche du conseil supérieur espagnole de la recherche scientifique qui a pour principaux indicateurs la qualité et l’impact de la présence des institutions universitaires sur internet. De ce fait, L’érection de l’UDS à ce rang est due à sa présence sur internet, notamment l’actualisation régulière des informations académiques et d’actualités sur son site officiel, et l’interaction avec les communautés virtuelles. Selon le chef de service de l’Information et des Conférences à l’université de Dschang, Alexandre Djimeli, le site web de l’UDS «reçoit 1500 à 2000 visites par jour». «Le nombre de liens partant de notre site ou y renvoyant est de plus en plus important. L’accès aux cours, aux programmes de formation, aux concours au marchés publics et emplois du temps est un gage de notre sérieux», a-t-il indiqué dans le quotidien national, édition du mercredi, 09 septembre 2015…

L’informatique a eu à prendre une courbe ascendante durant l’ère des années 2000 dans le monde et son utilisation impacte tous les divers secteurs d’activités rencontrer dans le monde et même dans la technologie mobile. Elle sert de base de données, de support d’information, de bibliothèque virtuelle, de médiatisation on-site et online (Toi qui lis ceci en sait quelque chose forcement) pour ne citer que cela. Du coup, Ce n’ai guerre un point à négliger pour tous.

L’éducation en Afrique croit au fil du temps et la capacité d’accueil par université par nations et par zone ne cesse de se doubler à chaque nouvelle année. Alors, qu’attendons-nous pour faire des outils des NTIC un « Garde-Fur » de nos actions, formation et informations afin que la pérennisation des données relatives à la bonne marche et gouvernance de nos universités Africaines soit plus percu comme un pôle de REFERENCE et d’EXEMPLE à suivre…. Alors, membres de l’Association des Universités Africaines (AUA), “Lift the visibility, respect and notoriety of your institution via a conducive, remote and day in day out utilization of ICT tools just as your brotherhood UDS in #Cameroon does. The beginning are already hard and asks much but it’s the finality that counts and shall remain for ages ahead upcoming…”

University of Dschang, Cameroon, African University Day 2015 #AUDAY2015

Reported by: Ghislain BAPPA SE Marc… Online SMR team for the AUDAY2015

Ahmadu Bello University- The Pride of Africa

Ahmadu Bello University is the largest university in Nigeria founded on October 4, 1962 in Zaria as the University of Northern Nigeria.  It  began full operation in 1962, on the cites of these educational institutions: the defunct Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, founded in 1955; the Clerical Training Centre, Kongo, founded in 1957; the Samaru Agricultural Research Station, established in  1924, and the Shika Livestock Farm, started in 1928.

The University was named after SirAhmadu Bello (1901-1966), “the Sardauna of Sokoto” and the Premier of Northern Nigeria. As the first Chancellor of the’ University, Sir Ahmadu Bello performed its Opening Ceremony on the 4th of October, 1962.

In 1975, the University was taken over by the Federal Government through a Decree (the Ahmadu Bello University [Transitional] Provisions Decree of 1975), thus becoming a Federal University.

ABU as popularly called was established to impart knowledge and learning to men and women of all races without distinction on the grounds of race, religious or political beliefs. The founding fathers expected the University to aspire to the highest international ideals of scholarship and to provide learning of a standard required and expected of a university of the highest standing while reflecting the needs, the traditions, and the social and intellectual heritage of the society in which it is located. The University was taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1975 and has since then assumed a national mandate although its ties with the 19 states created out of the former Northern Region remain very strong.

In the over forty years of its existence, the ABU has grown to become the largest, and the most influential and diverse university in Nigeria. Consisting of eighty-two (82) Academic Departments, twelve (12) Faculties, and twelve (12) Research Institutes and Specialized Centres, the University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in such diverse fields as Agriculture, Public and Business Administration, Engineering, Environmental Design, Education, Biological and Physical Sciences, Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Humanities, Law and Social Sciences. The university has two campuses located on 7,000 hectares of land.

Student enrolment currently stands at 35,000 with 20% at the postgraduate level. Staff strength stands at 1, 400 academic staff, 1, 985 non-academic senior staff and 4,143 junior staff. A common feature of both the staff and student population is the wide variety of social, cultural, religious and economic backgrounds that they represent. One unique feature of the University, as opposed to any other Institution of its type in Nigeria, is that it has both staff and students from all parts of the country and from neighboring countries. This mix has created an open society in which people from all backgrounds are able to live. This has been one of the major strengths of the University. At a time when Nigeria and indeed the world is faced with divisions and tensions, the experience of open, multi-religious, multi-faith and multi-cultural dialogue and cohabitation which ABU possesses, is one which the University is anxious to retain and build upon.

The University’s mission, as contained in its Strategic Plan, is “to advance the frontiers of learning and break new grounds, through teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge of the highest quality; to establish and foster national and international integration through the development and the promotion of African traditions and cultures; to serve as a model and conscience of the society; to produce high-level human power and enhance capacity-building through training and retraining, in order to meet the needs and challenges of the 21st century”.

Blessing Ogunleye (Nigeria)

National University of Science and Technology (NUST) solar program

A TOTAL of 0,25 megawatts MW of photovoltaic electricity production (Solar energy) is set to be installed at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) as a means to generate power to the campus and addition to the energy exploitation in the Zimbabwe,thereby reduce electricity bills.
The Technopark department at NUST director Dr Eliton Mthethwa said the project which is still on the pipeline will generate power to Nust campus as the Sub Saharan region if well vested with sunlight during the day.
“This project will generate power to the campus and we are trying to extend it so that it reaches the student‘s residential areas and the clinic, “said Dr Mthethwa.
Installing solar power is an addition of the counrty’s power exploitation method and will reduce electricity bills the institution is facing.
“Installing solar power will reduce our costs that we have to pay to ZImbabwe Eletricity Supply Authority (Zesa) and currently they are charging us at 13c pkh,” said Dr Mthethwa.
He said Nust is the one of the Biggest and oldest Tertiary institution which renders it difficult to manage electricity usage resulting to forking out large sums of money to pay zesa bills from the institution. The primary objective of installing the plant is to demonstrate technological and financial viability by the institution but not to be independent from ZESA.
“Solar power is a natural resource,a cheaper commodity every African can rely on to reducing large sums of bills paid and load-shading. It will enable the institution to open up other doors to start or finish projects which have been stopped due to financial constraints,” said Dr Mthethwa.

The Institute of Higher learning has suspended many projects including the Construction of a Library facility on campus for decades.
He said the idea to install solar power plant at the institution was greatly considered after the recent kariba disaster where water levels are are reducing at enormously following power cuts which have battered the whole nation in the process.
“We consider this a very positive move which is expected to lift the performance of production within the institution,”said Mthethwa.
He said nowadays both secondary and tertiary schools are dependent on modern technology. Electronic gadgets such as projectors, computers and internet have remained the top priority if there has to be sustainable education system.
“We don’t want a situation where work is halted after unconditional power cuts with both lecturers and students can’t operate because computers are shut down,”
“Solar power will run the institution in full capacity without abruptly switching off, stalling the working process. We have individuals coming during the evening classes who have complained of having lost unrecoverable time after lectures would have been stopped due to series of power cuts going on,” .
“The move is there to empower Nust and its stakeholders to ensure sustainability within a community,” said Mthethwa.
He said the institution is still waiting for a license approval from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) which will be approved after environmental assessment report by environmental management agency (EMA).
“We hope to get the license early next year(2016) specifically January so that we start working into the project which will not take us more than 3 months to finish,” he said
He said they hope to be power independent by june2016.The plant will be installed about 1 kilometer from the nearest building wielding large space of land which will allow the institution to increase its solar power plant when needed.
“We are going to import the plant and install, and it will require small labour from the technical partners,”
Dr Mthethwa said there has been doing parallel activities to raise money, and as well seeking for financial funding towards the project.
Currently the country is producing electricity at the lowest power of about 985 MW, dropping from the national power demand of 1200 MW. The country requires about 2200 MW to run normally.

Gulu University establishes more master degree programs

 

Gulu University has  established  two new master programs in sciences which have already kicked off.

The new Programs are master program in medical Anthropology and infrastructural Health, master in Medicine and surgery and diploma in pharmaceutical technology. These courses are in the Faculty of Medicines.

Gulu University is situated in Gulu town northern Uganda, it was established in 2002.

The University has been doing a lot of research works, some of the published ones include; ENRECA project, UN Peace Project and German research Foundation project.

The going research include the following, Post-conflict Mobility, Nodding Syndrome, etc

By Willy ChoWoo

In Gulu/Uganda.