IN the past one year, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been able to attract up to N5 billion in research fund, an associate professor of the university, Diran Akinleye, has revealed.
Addressing journalists ahead of the institution’s 14th Annual Research Conference and Fair scheduled for between August 21 and 23, 2019, Dr Akinleye, who is the chairman of the Abstract Sub-Committee for the conference, said the grants came from mostly foreign sources.
“In the last one year, (UNILAG) has attracted about N5 billion in external research funding. This is why, among other reasons, at the moment the University of Lagos is ranked the best in Nigeria and 12th best in Africa according to the Times Higher Education ranking.
“Activities like the research fair are organised to position the university among the top three in Africa in the next three years,” Akinleye said.
The chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Abayomi Okanlawon, said Dr Dere Awosika, an independent non-executive director in Access Bank and chairman, Chams PLC, would deliver the keynote address on the theme: ‘Automation and Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities for the 21st Century Research and Development’ at the conference, while former Group Executive Director, NNPC and now executive partner, Africa Capital Alliance, Mr Afolabi Oladele, an engineer, would serve as the plenary speaker.
Akinyele said it was pertinent for Nigerians to begin to understand the many ways that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting their lives and prepare for the changes.
“A lot of things we take for granted are becoming automated. Much of the work humans do are being automated. A clear demonstration of the impact of AI is our mobile phones, which has eliminated the need to go to the post office. You don’t even have to use a desktop before you respond to your mails; you can use your phone.
“This, while good, also has its other side – ethical issues about privacy, unemployment. African countries lag behind in the level of automation worldwide. If we don’t do something to get on board, we will be further disenfranchised,” he said.