LASU receives 7 million USD World Bank grant

Lagos State University has received seven million USD World Bank research grant as one of the schools selected by the multilateral institution as centres of excellence in Africa.

This was disclosed by the school’s VC, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, during the long service awards for teaching and non-teaching staff on Friday. 543 members of staff were honoured, after serving for more than 20 years.

The grant package is renewable after four years of successful performance.

”I will start my remark on a high note. I am proud to announce to you that LASU is now an African Centre Of Excellence,” said Mr Fagbohun.

”We were chosen from about 154 Universities that applied for the centre, and after several rounds of assessment and screening, we were selected as the only state university in the round.

“We are going to be attracting foreign students and foreign faculties, so, we cannot afford to go on strike or allow any crisis. “It is not about me, it is about all of us, as LASU will become what we all make it become,” added the vice chancellor.

Other Nigerian institutions selected by the World Bank are Centre for Oilfield Chemicals Research (CEFOR), University of Port-Harcourt; Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer’s University, Ede; and Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Reproductive Health and Innovation went to the University of Benin; Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano; and Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER), Benue State University, Makurdi.

Applied Informatics and Communication was given to Covenant University, Ota; Centre for Public Health and Toxicological Research (PUTOR), University of Port Harcourt; ACE for Sustainable Power and Energy Development, University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Technology Enhanced Learning was given to National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN); and Future Energies and Electrochemical Systems (FUELS), Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

The rest are New Pedagogies in Engineering Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Drug Research, Herbal Medicine Development and Regulatory Science, University of Lagos.

Mycotoxin and Food Safety was given to Federal University of Technology, Minna; and Center for Population Health and Policy Bayero University, Kano.

It was also gathered that 12 countries participating in the African centre for excellence impact project are Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Niger, Djibouti, Guinea, Togo and Gambia.