BUK VC Charges TETFund Centers of Excellence to Justify their Establishment…Commends ACEPHAP for Excellent Performance
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, has charged TETFund Centers of Excellence to justify their establishments by taking a cue from the excellent performance of BUK's Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP).
Akeelah
The Vice Chancellor, who was represented by the Provost, College of Natural and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CNPS), Professor Tijani Hassan Darma, was speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day seminar with the Theme: Synergizing
Success: Unleashing the potential of Institutional Centers of Excellence across the Nation, organized by ACEPHAP in collaboration with TETFund Center of Excellence for Integrated Farming System, Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
The Seminar took place from Monday 27 to Tuesday 28 November, 2023 at the ACEPHAP Board Room.
Recommended for you>>>>BUK Commences Second Semester Lectures 4 December, 2023
Professor Abbas said the University was proud of the high standard set in terms of performance by ACEPHAPand CDAand urged the TETFund centers of excellence to learn from the experiences of the two BUK centers, by so doing, they would justify the reason why they were established.
According to him, the seminar was a step in the right direction especially the choice of Professor Hadiza Shehu Galadanci as the keynote speaker, who had successfully managed not only the World Bank grants, but also numerous research grants from international donor agencies.
The Vice Chancellor noted that experience sharing is one of the best forms of knowledge acquisition, advising the participants to pay attention to the presentations.
In her address, the Director of ACEPHAP, Professor Hadiza Shehu Galadanci, said the objectives of the seminar were to share experiences among participants, foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among centers of excellence, identify challenges and brain storm on possible solutions to the
challenges.
Read also>>>>BUK Benefits from NOUN's Training Programme
She told the participants that a center of excellence can only succeed if it makes impact on the society, saying that the impact made by ACEPHAPin the areas of postgraduate training, regional networking and capacity building are part of its success story.
Shedding more light on the regional impact the center made, Professor Galadanci disclosed that it had supported the establishment of a histology lab at Dankolodo University Maradi in Niger, trained four histopathology scientists and procured his to pathology equipment. The Center,she revealed, offered regionals cholarships and support for students from francophone countries as well as established networks for research and education.
The ACEPHAP Director stated that one of the priorities of the center's training programme was providing quality education.
In this respect, she stated that the center sponsored faculty and academic staff to attend courses such as grant writing,
STATA, and R-statistical training. These courses, she said, enabled the staff to gain new skills and knowledge to help improve the University.
On the center's impactful research, she gave examples of the EMotive and IVON TRIALstudies which, she said, were the impactful researches conducted by the centre. These studies have had a positive impact on the community and the region.
Professor Galadanci told the participants that the center had published over 200 articles in high-impact journals and contributed to global policy documents on improving maternal health. It has also helped to improve the ranking of the university (BUK) through its many accomplishments. The center, she added, was “committed” to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship through initiatives such as the Innovation Week and the pitching competition. She also said the center's workicluded helping to improve healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To succeed as a center of excellence, Professor Galadanci advised that having a strong team, institutional support, and an understanding of the funding climate are all critical to successes.
Professor Galadanci also advised the participants to follow rules when applying for grants, have a plan in place for sustainability. She provided valuable insights on how to write grant proposals, as well as how to manage them and build sustainable plans.In their separate comments, representatives from various organizations attending the seminar requested the Director for training in grant writing, sustainable planning and management.
Did you miss>>>>BUK screening exercise for Direct Entry candidates, 2023/2024
At the end of the session, Professor Galadanci further told the participants that collaboration is key to success. “You must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to
potential collaborators and partners in order to achieve your goals. It is not possible to succeed alone; you must work
together to grow,” she concluded.
