The Ag. Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, Professor E. Smaranda Olarinde, FCArb. has affirmed that the strategic partnership between Afe Babalola University and the Durban University of Technology holds enormous potential to kick-start the much-anticipated opportunity for Africa’s renaissance. The wife of the Founder and Chancellor, Yeye-Aare Modupe Babalola who was the Chairperson of occasion was visibly elated.
During the welcome speech to receive the DUT’s representative, Dr. Emem Anwana, who, on the Ag. Vice Chancellor’s invitation on 12th January 2022. She came on a working visit to strengthen areas of collaboration between the Durban University of Technology and Afe Babalola University, Africa’s fastest growing university. The Vice-Chancellor stated that Africa is endowed with rich human capital but can only become tangible gain if the Continent through strategic partnership and collaboration can ignite development in critical sectors, one of which is education.
Professor Olarinde, stated that, “this visit provides a timely important opportunity for us to further explore areas of mutual collaboration between our Institutions, most especially with respect to students’ recruitment, research, linkages and strategic partnerships”.
She explained that ABUAD’s famed greatness can be found in diverse areas, “Some of the leading research works done at ABUAD in areas of vaccine and drug production, healthcare, agriculture, information technology and entrepreneurship have changed the world–much more than one could ever expect from a relatively young university. For instance, very recently, ABUAD received the approval of the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for our homegrown ABUAD Herbal Virucidine Liquid, a herbal drug to combat Covid-19 and other viral infections” is a clear indication that the institution is particularly considered about pushing the frontiers of human greatness.
On her part, Dr. Emem Anwana, attested to the profound impression which ABUAD has made on her within the short time of her arrival and expressed her happiness that the ABUAD-DUT will further enhanced the much-anticipated opportunity for Africa’s global recognition. She stated in her speech that “skill shortage, development of curricula to meet the demand and lack of partnership between South-South” hemisphere of the world can be breached with required will as exemplified with the prospects between ABUAD-DTU.
She commended the ABUAD-VC for relying on significantly large number of young academics and administrative staff which she noted was better placed to be mentored by such a strategy. The VC stated that it was a deliberate policy of ABUAD to expose, by way of personal example, to future leaders to learn and lead with using proven values through strategic values. She equally extended an invitation to the entire DUT management team to consider a visitation to ABUAD as soon as possible. She further extended an open invitation to ABUAD to consider a visit to DUT after the Covid-Pandemic.