Towson University, (TU), Maryland U.S, has partnered with Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Africa Centre of Excellence for exchange of knowledge in Science and Technology.
The partnership was sealed recently when representatives from TU including Professors David Vanko, Sidd Kaza, Claire Muhoro and Yeong-Tae Song came to OAU, Ile-Ife to sign the Memorandom of Understanding (MOU).
According to the Dean of Fisher’s College of Science and Mathematics, TU, Dr. David Vanko, the MOU includes student and faculty exchanges, joint research especially in cyber security and Grant proposal writing. The partnership promises promotion of academic exchanges that include information, materials and publications related to research, education and training to benefit both universities.
In a similar vein, the OAU team led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ogunbodede in company of Professor A.S. Bamire, (DVC, Academic), Professor G.A. Aderounmu (ACE Co-Centre Leader) and Dr. Temitope Aladesanmi (ACE Communications Manager) were hosted by the TU President, Dr. Kim Schatzel in February at Towson, Maryland, US. Speaking on the OAU-TU collaboration, the TU Vice President in charge of International Initiatives, Dr. Saleha Suleman explained that the strong partnership with OAU is a win-win scenario for both institutions. “For Towson University, this specific partnership will play a role in opening opportunities to contribute to the STEM capacity-building ventures of Nigeria and expand TU’s presence in the most populous country on the African continent’. We already have over 25 Nigerian students enrolled at TU, and the majority are in graduate programs pursuing STEM majors”, she added.
This exchange is facilitated by the World bank sponsored Africa Centre of Excellence in Software Engineering in OAU. It would be recalled that in 2014, in collaboration with the Association of African Universities, the World Bank launched the Africa Centre of Excellence Project across some 16 institutions in Africa to promote regional specialization in areas addressing common development challenges, strengthen the universities’ ability to deliver quality training and research, and meet the demand for required professional skills. OAU was one of the 16 focussing on being the hub for software education and development in Africa.
