Nigerian/US Varsities Aligns to Award Joint Degrees.
Over 30 Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities deliberated at the inaugural Higher Education Conference, designed by the U.S. government in a bid to support initiatives that promote access to quality education and strengthen human capital for inclusive economic growth and development in Nigeria.
The conference was held on the 15 May and to last for 2days at the Landmark event center, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos mobilized key stakeholders to build long-term partnerships between U.S. and Nigerian institutions of higher education.
In attendance was the Vice-Chancellors from Nigeria’s Federal, State, and Private Universities, Five U.S. higher education experts and representatives from the Nigeria Universities Commission, all of whose main goal was to build on the U.S. Mission’s commitment to support initiatives that strengthen educational and cultural ties between Nigeria and the United States.
During the opening speech, the U.S. Consulate Public Affairs, Officer Stephen Ibelli revealed that the overarching goal of the conference was to build on the longstanding U.S.-Nigeria educational ties by opening new frontiers of partnerships capable of enhancing quality of learning, teaching and research.
In his words: “This is a giant step forward. Bringing U.S. and Nigerian universities closer together, exploring future partnerships and discussing ideas for joint degrees with American experts, where great outcomes of the higher education conference.”
Recall that over 31 Nigerian Universities are already affiliated with the U.S. Mission on the Fulbright program, which provides opportunities for Nigerian University students and faculty members to engage in collaborative research in U.S. institutions across various academic fields.
Nigeria has also received, in recent years, more than 50 scholarships annually for Varsity Scholars and Ph.D. candidates to travel to Universities in the United States to conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared global issues.
