UI will sustain symbiotic relationship with PAULESI —VC

The vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, has vowed the commitment of the institution in sustaining a symbiotic relationship with the Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (including Health and Agriculture), PAULESI.

Professor Adebowale gave the assurance last week when the new director of the institute, Professor Mubo Sonibare, paid a courtesy visit to his office.

The VC congratulated Professor Sonibare on her emergence as the director of PAULESI despite the protracted process and commended her for observing official protocol by her visit.

Professor Adebowale reiterated that PAULESI was a continental initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC) to consolidate plans of action for the development of science and technology in Africa through education.

He disclosed that UI management had consistently supported the institute in its drive to be a major instrument for the fulfillment of the AUC vision for Africa.

He recalled that the University of Ibadan keenly contested and won to host PAULESI in West Africa as one of the five replicas established across the continent.

The VC noted that with a substantive director at the helm of affairs in the institute now, he has no doubt that new grounds would be broken.

He stated that the university was aware of the challenges being faced by the institute and assured the director of UI’s renewed commitment to facilitating interventions for physical expansion of the facilities and an improved environment for the foreign students.

He, then, charged the director to work hard with a high level of commitment and integrity as she serves the University of Ibadan as well as PAULESI, saying that occupying the position comes with huge responsibilities and challenges.

Earlier, the new director of PAULESI, Professor Mubo Sonibaren who is also a professor of pharmacognosy from the Faculty of Pharmacy,  University of Ibadan, had said that the purpose of the visit was to seek more collaboration, synergy, and strengthening of the university’s support for PAULESI.

She reiterated that PAULESI was an initiative of the African Union with four other institutes in Central Africa, South Africa, East Africa, and North Africa.

Professor Sonibare said PAULESI was solely established for Africans to look inwards, define, and find solutions to the problems facing the African continent in order to reduce its dependence on the Western world.

She noted that there had been a synergetic relationship between UI and PAULESI as the institute had been of immense benefit to the university globally and locally in terms of ranking.

The director said that the number of international students in the University of Ibadan had increased through the activities of PAULESI and expressed the hope that the collaboration will be strengthened and sustained so that the vision of the founders of the initiative would be realised.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo turns first sod of the Yoruba World Centre at University of Ibadan