In furtherance of its ratings as the best University in Nigeria, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has won a Grant of eight (8) million dollars by the World Bank.
In a release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, it stated that the Grant, which is for three (3) years for the establishment of an African Centre for Excellence with specific focus on OAU Knowledge Park (OAK-Park).
An elated Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bamitale Omole, whose administration has recorded several firsts within two and a half years into his five-year tenure, affirmed that the OAK-Park will create a nationally recognised and internationally acknowledgedmodel for uptake and commercialization of research and technology which will advance the growth of the nation’s industry.
Enumerating the importance of the centre to the overall development of mankind, Prof. Omole noted that the centre will ensure the systematic incubation of research of research ideas and products from OAU and other partnering institutions in the West Africa sub-regions.
The objection, Prof. Omole said, is to annex the creative and innovative energy of the teeming youths into entrepreneurial endeavour by using appropriate skill-enhancing training and mentoring. He specifically said that the OAK-Park facility will, among other things, aspire to stimulate creativity and excellence in research and innovation, expand learning opportunities for OAU staff and students and, indeed, other researchers from the region.”
Underscoring the importance of the centre, Prof. Omole observed that its facilities would also aim at establishing a framework for enhanced research result appropriation and utilization for the community, regional and national development which by extension, will further enhance OAU’s and other collaborating institutions’ relavance to their respective mandate.
He added that “the centre is also geared towards the developments of the next generation of scientists, researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs and product developers through appropriate practice-anchored capacity building measures.
These include industrial immersion schemes, leverage on industry resource support for critical skills development of academics, students and researchers, as well as targetted status enhancement enhancement training for industry staff in the university system”.
On how OAU was selected as one of the beneficiaries, the World Bank was said to have received 51 proposals from universities all over Africa, out of which 18 were selected for funding after a rigorous and competitive process, and OAU proposal was among the best proposals that were eventually selected.
Prof. Omole further explained that OAK-Park as an African Centre of Excellence (ACE) will signal the dwan of a new development paradigm that boldly ventures to harness science, engineering, technology, innovation and indeed, the entire body of knowledge to investigate and sustain industrial development as a gateway for African prosperity.
Congrats!!! OAU
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