New Telegraph

UNN VC commends AAP for stimulating research partnerships in Africa

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Charles Igwe, has commended the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) for promoting research and collaborations among African universities.

 

The AAP is a consortium of 12 African institutions and the Michigan State University (MSU), United States and in which UNN is the only Nigerian institution in the consortium.

Speaking at a dinner organised for some alumni of the University of Nigeria and the Michigan State University in Abuja, the Vice Chancellor acknowledged the AAP for bringing African universities together to solve problems peculiar to the continent.

Igwe, however, reiterated that the AAP was birthed at a time African universities desperately needed such collaborations to help bridge the gap on impactful research on the continent “It is worthy of note that the admission of the UNN into the AAP consortium has further exposed us to the immeasurable benefits of partnering with other African universities.

 

The partnership has helped us in a long way in addressing a number of problems peculiar to our continent,” the Vice-Chancellor said. Igwe added that the AAP consortium had created the opportunity for members of staff of  the university to participate in international collaborative research projects which enhanced the institution’s global viability and global ranking.

 

“I am pleased to acknowledge that some staff of UNN have ben  efited tremendously from AAP’s Partnership for Innovation Research in Africa (PIRA) grants,” Igwe noted, stressing that the staff have also benefitted from the Transforming Institution Strategic Grants and the African Future Research Leadership Grants.

 

The Vice-Chancellor further explained that the alumni dinner, which is part of activities of AAP’s 2nd Annual General Meeting, was organised to deepen the bond of friendship between alumni of the MSU and the UNN. Thus, he expressed gratitude to the Michigan State University for leading the formation of the AAP and promised the commitment of the UNN to promoting the ideals of the AAP in the country.

 

The Associate Provost and Dean of International Studies and Programmes of Michigan State University, Prof. Steve Hanson, explained that the focus of AAP was to build the next generation of African researchers that would champion development and promote leadership in their communities.

 

This was even as he said that the AAP provides a collaborative and cross disciplinary platform for researchers to address global challenges in a sustainable way through co-creation of ideas.

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