UNIPORT Empowers Administrative Staff with AI Skills in Groundbreaking Workshop

The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) took a decisive step toward modernizing higher education administration when the UNIPORT chapter of the Association of Nigerian University Professional Administrators (ANUPA) hosted a one-day workshop titled “Reimagining Administrative Work with AI: A Practical Training for University Administrative Staff.”

Led by Dr. Iroh Williams Okwara, Research Management Officer at UNIPORT, the workshop provided a hands-on, transformative experience designed to equip university administrators with practical skills for leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their daily work. Participants explored how AI is reshaping administrative functions worldwide, enabling staff to move beyond routine tasks toward strategic, high-value contributions.

Dr. Okwara highlighted AI’s potential to automate repetitive tasks, enhance productivity, and support informed decision-making. Attendees were shown how AI can streamline email management, meeting scheduling, data analysis, and report generation, freeing administrative professionals to focus on innovation, creativity, and service excellence.

The workshop covered AI’s applications across statutory, professional, socio-cultural, and technical functions, demonstrating tools such as:

• SaneBox & Boomerang for intelligent email management
• Otter.ai & TurboScribe for automated transcription
• Calendly & Clockwise for scheduling
• Julius AI & Salesforce Einstein for data analysis
• Gamma AI & ChatPDF for document generation and summarization

A key highlight was the session on ChatGPT, where participants learned to draft reports, summarize documents, automate workflows, and conduct research using conversational AI. Dr. Okwara introduced the “9 Golden Rules of Prompting,” showing how ChatGPT can serve as a personal productivity assistant.

Beyond technology, the workshop emphasized cultivating a growth mindset, encouraging staff to embrace continuous learning, experimentation, and collaboration. Dr. Okwara stressed, “With AI, we can reimagine our roles and redefine university administration for the digital era. This is just the beginning.”

The event reaffirmed UNIPORT’s commitment to preparing its workforce for the future, ensuring that the University’s administrative operations remain dynamic, efficient, and aligned with its academic mission.