A parley between the leadership of DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre (DIaDeRC) and Bells University of Technology, Ota with the aim of evolving a working relationship between both institutions held took place on Thursday, 1st August, 2024 at the Boardroom of the University.
Setting the tone for the discussion, the Chair of DIaDeRC, Professor Evans Osabuohien, said the robustness of the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN) in driving excellence has become a major rallying point of DIaDeRC’s operations. According to him, DIaDeRC as an institution is well positioned to add value to activities of Bells University of Technology by collaborating in training the requisite manpower of the university.
Professor Osabuohien proposed a 2-day workshop that would be tailored towards helping mentor young and early professionals in academia and, at the same time, see how a Memorandum of Understanding between both institutions could be worked out. He made reference to a recent MoU that DIaDeRC signed with University of Regina in Canada.
DIaDeRC Chair noted that the proposed workshop concepts will see a wide range of topics across grantsmanship, publication and best practices, networking, visibility in the research and a whole lot more delved into to deliver maximally for all participants. He added that it would build on the success recorded from a similar workshop that DIaDeRC held in conjunction with Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in February 2024.
Professor Osabouhien promised a multi-disciplinary workshop that will ensure that participants are exposed to various opportunities that will see them grouped into relevant clusters, towards giving them the necessary push to maximise their professional calling.
Speaking on the occasion of the interaction, the Chairperson of the University’s Advisory Committee on Partnership and Linkages, Professor Sunday Oyedepo, said the accepted to meet with the leadership of DIaDeRC as it is the desire of the university to diversify from her current strength in the field of engineering, into other areas of professionalism.
Professor Oyedepo, who led other members of the Advisory Committee on Partnership and Linkages to the talk, said the intent to diversify will necessarily require mentorship and training the requisite manpower to deliver and give essence to the diversification of Bells University’s programmes.
He said they were excited about the prospect of the intended relationship and hoped that when it gets underway, it would assist in producing great academics in the university.
While members present were enthused about the prospect of the relationship, Professor Oyedepo said the committee will make recommendation to the University management with the hope that something concrete will take shape as an aftermath of the discourse.
