By DAYO ADESULU

Seven Nigerian universities have successfully emerged among the 15 African universities selected for the World Bank-sponsored project by African Centres of Excellence (ACE).

The selection has indicated that some Nigerian universities are competitive in their tripartite functions of teaching, research and community service.

The benefiting universities were selected after their proposals were evaluated and considered to have met the requirements for the ACE project, at the end of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting, held in Dakar, Senegal, on 28 October, 2013.

The new ACEs in Nigeria and their project titles are: Redeemers University, Mowe, Ogun State /University of Ibadan, Ibadan (African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, ACEGID); African University of Science and Technology, Abuja (Pan-African Materials Institute [PAMI]); Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment); Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Centre of Excellence on Neglected

Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology); University of Jos, (Phytomedicine Research and

Development, ACEPRD); University of Benin (Centre for Excellence in Reproductive Health and Innovation) and the University of Port Harcourt (ACE Centre for Oil Field Chemicals).

According to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission NUC, NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, the project is aimed at developing regional higher education that would promote regional specialisation among universities and address particular common regional development challenges. He said that it is also aimed at strengthening the capacities of benefiting universities to deliver high quality training and applied research.

“This is to meet the demand for skills required for Africa’s development, such as the extractive industries and agricultural productivity. The project would also contribute to the strengthening of the best African universities within science-based education.

“The seven countries across West and Central Africa participating in the first phase of the project are Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroun, Burkina Faso and Senegal. It would be recalled that following the call for proposals by the World Bank on 15 July, 2013, Nigerian universities submitted 55 proposals to the NUC in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as Agriculture and Health Sciences.”

Okojie explained that in an effort to ensure that grant winning proposals were submitted from Nigerian universities, NUC constituted the National Project Performance and Review Committee (NPPRC), an evaluation Committee, headed by Professor Adebisi Balogun, to review and enhance the quality of the proposals.

The proposals further went through desk evaluations by a team of 22 African and international evaluators. Of the 52 proposals that were submitted by all participating countries to the RFU/AAU, only 31 were shortlisted, with 16 of them from Nigerian universities.

http://community.vanguardngr.com/profiles/blogs/7-nigerian-varsities-emerge-for-wb-sponsored-projects

Nigeria has enough money to fund our universities properly, the problem is that our leaders are corrupt.

Same set of universities always selected

Anyway #irepUI the First and the best.

Deux du commento

FUnaab funaab glory of our days, forward upward u shall ever stay, beacons of our fathers' land to success we wil sail,labouring toilin forward we shall ever stay...repping funaab

Really good to know Uniben's proposal was successful. I have to be a beneficiary!

goooood....anyway I rep uniben d unibest

Wat of mautech aka futy oh.. abi una dey fear boko haram for adamawa state

always beef OAU,with or without them we remain the best

I know University of Agriculture,Abeokuta will be there. That university to the best of my knowledge is one of the most efficient in Nigeria. They have graduates doing well all over the world. Its a relatively young university but people should watch out for it

What of Delsu

The universities i expected to be here are not here.

why is FUTO not on the list....Centre for nuclear research

Team "Unique students" Unique Uniport.

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Centre of Excellence on Neglected

Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology);
Hmmm! Professor Andrew Nok's line of research is a factor here

ok.

Good to know my alma mata UNIBEN is well represented

Team "None of the above"

7 out of 15, very good, we can do better only if we can flush out the HOE-duahs in politics out, congrats the 7 universities, I pray it moves our education sector forward, FUNAAB is one of the best..good news.

If you don't have my own FUTO on the list then its a clear scam. I don't see why an International Centre for Nuclear Research can't drawn funds for such important research.

Makes sense

.

I rep Funaab as my Undergraduate institution and I rep U.I as my Postgraduate institution.

Fabulous we are #FUNAAB

In btw join the agriculture community on www. where you can interact with farmers and agriculture professionals across the world, also downoad weekly prices of agric commodity/foodstuff from market in lagos.

reading the headline. I av already pre-empted dt FUNAAB 'll be among. And I was right! I like that UNAAB than most other uni. Although u are not my graduate school but I av a younger bro there. That school men, u wont know what I mean until u go there.

I rep unijos center for phytomedicine research, kudos to professors, J. O kolawole, Aguyi et al, of pharmacy deparment.

I rep unijos center for phytomedicine research, kudos to professors, J. O kolawole, Aguyi et al, of pharmacy deparment.
Watch out for this school, no beefing oo. *winks*

Why is Unimaid not therecentre for Nuclear weapons..if u knw what I mean .

yeah! I knew it! I knew Uniport'd make it!!!
proudly unique uniport student

I rep OSUSTECH watchout for us we are growing day by day in the next 2-5 Years we will explore for the world to see.......

Chillypelly: If you don't have my own FUTO on the list then its a clear scam. I don't see why an International Centre for Nuclear Research can't drawn funds for such important research.

dude calm down, FUTO isn't the first or only university with an International Centre For Nuclear Research( but wait is that all ur school can boast of? an ICFNR?) , uniport had it before you guys and that's why you can see it there on the list!

The VC's would soon smile to the bank