Germany ready to assist research institutions in Nigeria – Consul General
The German Consul General to Nigeria,
Mr Ingo Herbert, on Tuesday said
Germany was ready to support research
institutions in Nigeria to improve the lot
of the country.
Ingo made the assertion at a forum of
Humboldt Higher Education and
Research Linkage held at University of
Lagos, Akoka.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that Humboldt Network is a
group of scholars and researchers with
base in Germany.
Their work is supported by the German
government with the aim of revitalising
higher education management and
research.
According to the Consul General, the
German government always meets with
researchers and scholars all over the
world to support their various
researches aimed at improving the
educational system.
“The German government meets with
Humboldtians to find ways to assist the
fellowship all over the world and this
Nigerian branch has in the past enjoyed
the support of our government too.
“The group has its branches all over the
world with a network of high profile
professors and researchers that create
high quality researches with the support
of the government.
“German government will support any
research, also medical research. When
they apply, it will be accepted but
proposal must be made first.
“We have supported the University of
Ibadan in the past,’’ he said.
In his address of welcome, the Vice-
Chancellor of University of Lagos
(UNILAG), Prof. Rahman Bello, said that
it was a great pleasure for the institution
to host such an important forum.
We believe in the great human and
intellectual potential of staff and
students to compete among their peers
globally and enjoy competitive
advantage.
“We will continue to promote the culture
of excellence.
“Humboldt network has rich array of
great scholars that has won awards and
impressed by their expertise and
impressive research profile.
“The kind of support they keep receiving
from Humboldt Forum and the German
government even after their initial
research study in Germany is sufficient
to make an average scholar green with
envy,’’ he said.
Bello advised the forum to conduct more
innovative and cutting edge scientific
research which, he referred to, as the
bedrock of knowledge.
“We will welcome ideas and suggestions
that will make our efforts here aggregate
towards achieving the goal of
accelerating human capital investment
and national development.
“I equally urge you all Humboldians to
continually strive to promote the ideals
of Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation
and the vision of supporting innovative
research projects.
“This will improve our capacity for
human capital development in tertiary
and research centres,’’ he said.
Contributing, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola,
the Provost, College of Medicine,
UNILAG, who is the host, said that
Humboldt Foundation was navigating
through the right position in the
university.
“To the foundation, College of Medicine
is a familiar institution where its benefit
and goodwill abound, while the history
of the foundation is widely known and
its activities widely acclaimed.
“It is on record that Humboldt
Foundation is a conglomerate that assists
researchers all over the world. Alexander
Von Humboldt is a foundation set up by
the government of Federal Republic of
Germany.
“It was founded by German foreign
office, the Ministry of Economic,
Cooperative and Development for the
cooperation between German
institutions of higher education and the
world over.
“The University of Lagos in particular
has benefitted tremendously from the
several awards from the foundation and
currently one of the staff, Prof. Samuel
Omilabu, is not only a fellow but a
beneficiary,’’ she said.
On the theme for next year,
“Multidisciplinary Forum on Molecular
Technology: Laying the Foundation for
Revolutionalised Research in Nigeria’’,
Omilabu said it could not but come at
this time.
“This conference is designed to stimulate
multi-disciplinary collaboration in the
wide field of molecular technology and
foster the application of emerging tools
to rapidly revolutionise the concept of
life scientific research.
“The forum will also strive to strengthen
networking particularly in pure and
natural sciences, basic and medical and
clinical sciences, she said.
In his remark, the convener of the
forum, Prof. Oluyemi Akinloye, said that
the alumni network meeting was aimed
at attracting distinguished Humboldtians
to an ambitious endeavour.
“Early this year, during the Humboldt
Alumni Award, the third time a Nigerian
was privileged to receive the prestigious
honour, that mandate has driven my
passion to hold this meeting.
“It is no longer news that all the three
Nobel Laureates this year went to
tropical diseases; the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine 2015 was divided
jointly by William Campbell and Sasoshi
Omura.
“Their awards were on Novel Therapy
Against Malaria. This is about the third
time that this prestigious prize will be
given in recognition of effort to combat
malaria,’’ he said.
Akinloye, however, decried the decay in
the value and system of the education
sector which, he added, had not help the
quality of the system.
“The decay in our value and system did
not spare our education system. Our
research endeavours have not so far
produced any ground breaking solution
to the challenges facing our society.
“Humboldt forum has therefore had the
privilege of participating in playing its
role in Germany and several parts of the
world to synchronize forces to overcome
many obstacles facing the educational
sector.
“I am persuaded that our synergistic
effort can turn the tide and put our
beloved country on the part of rapid
development in science and technology.
“I hope it will put it in the record of
global greatness,” he said.
NAN reports that the forum had in
attendance many dignitaries from
various public and private universities
in the country.
0 Comments :
COMMENT