By Bamidele Lawson
Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice Chancellor, Bowen University has paid a visit to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, where he called for the strengthening of the existing partnerships and identify new areas of collaboration with the Institute.
The Vice Chancellor, who was accompanied by Principal Officers of the Varsity, in his remark, explained that the present administration in Bowen came with a restructuring agenda and is eager to start the work. Emphasizing how IITA has made a tremendous impact in Africa, making it an institute with whom others want to partner, Prof. Ogunwole identified new areas of collaboration, which include capacity development for students and staff, research, digitizing the library, and youth empowerment on entrepreneurship and soft skills development.
“We do not just give degrees; we want our students to be entrepreneurs. We also want capacity building for Baptist youth throughout Nigeria so that they can be profitably engaged,” Ogunwole said.
Welcoming the Vice Chancellor and his team, IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga stated that IITA is happy to collaborate with BOWEN, being a top-notch university, adding, “We want a win-win situation for Bowen and IITA.”
Also speaking, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery, Kenton Dashiell, reaffirmed the DG’s words. He said Bowen prepares students to be entrepreneurial and innovative, thus, making it more than the regular traditional university that focuses on education alone.
On her part, Zaina Sore, Head of Capacity Development Office (CDO), related IITA’s longstanding history of partnering with universities. She highlighted areas of partnership available to universities such as internships, Industrial Training (IT), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), volunteering, graduate fellowships, training courses, and sabbaticals.
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