Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Mr Chris Maiyaki, has called on African universities to recognize the value of forging partnerships with institutions worldwide to address constraints and provide students with skills needed for employment.
Maiyaki advised on Friday, in Abuja, at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Forum for Innovation in African Universities, FIAU, with the theme: “Strengthening Africa’s Higher Education in a post-COVID-19 world.”
Maiyaki said by embracing international collaborations; the universities can tap into a wealth of expertise, resources, and opportunities for their students and faculties.
While noting that universities across Africa faced a challenge of resource constraint, he said to address the situation, the institutions require strategic partnerships.
“Collaboration with governments, private sector entities, philanthropic organizations, and international development agencies is crucial in pooling resources, sharing expertise, and creating sustainable funding models,” he said.
The NUC boss noted that the commission championed the development of guidelines for implementing Transnational Education, TNE, in Nigeria to partner with other institutions abroad.
Also, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, said there was an excellent prospect for African universities to progress in the post-COVID-19 era.
Adejo said Africa was fortunate because predictions about the severity of the pandemic in the continent did come true; however, the continent has yet to deal with the socio-economic impact of the pandemic properly.
On his part, FIAU co-founder Prof Pascal Anosike, in his remarks, said African universities have made remarkable progress in areas of curriculum review and private sector investment, but more still needs to be done in widening access and improving employability rate.
