By Gabriel Chy Alonta
An Associate Professor of Business Administration and Deputy Director, Unizik Business School, Chinedu Onyeizugbe, alongside his supervisee in the MBA programme, Ugochukwu Ifediora have been announced the winners of the Royal Academy of Engineering 22/24 for Higher Education Partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa 22/24 Grant. The grant is in the tune of £100,000 and would be released in tranches.
Ugochukwu Ifediora
The project title approved by the Academy was “Catalyzing the Employability and Entrepreneurial Impact of Nigerian Engineers in the Electricity Industry to Strategically Improve Access to Electricity in Nigeria”. The Orient Daily gathered.
This grant award is aimed at improving engineering capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa by enhancing the knowledge, skills, capacity and employability of African engineering graduates; build on the research and innovation capacity of engineering students of higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa and stimulate ties with industry to increase the scale of impact”, this paper learnt.
While reacting on the award in his office, one of the awardees, Dr. Onyeizugbe thanked the vice chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Prof. Charles Esimone FAS and the Director, UNIZIK Business School Prof. Emma I. Okoye for the opportunity and unwavering support given to him on the grant.
According to Onyeizugbe, the grant will be domiciled in Unizik Business School as indicated by the Royal Academy of Engineering to enhance the visibility of the school. He seized the opportunity to thank the University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Esimone and the Director of Unizik Business School, Prof. Emma Okoye for providing the enabling environment that attracted the grant. He said winning the grant would give the university wide visibility the world over.
Prof. Esimone had during the Senate meeting held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, commended Dr. Chinedu Onyeizugbe and Ugochukwu Ifediora for attracting such “a huge grant” to the university which, he said, was in line with the project 200 of his administration.
It would be recalled that sometimes ago, Dr. Chinedu Onyeizugbe was among those who attracted the fifteen million (15,000,000) Naira grant sponsored by Dr. Obiora Okonkwo (Founder and Chairman of Pro-Value Humanity Foundation) on Invigorating Igbo Entrepreneurial Behaviour Through Enhanced Apprenticeship Scheme in Onitsha Markets, Anambra state alongside; Prof. Au. Nnoyelu (Principal Investigator), Prof. Ezimma Nnabuife, Dr. Rosemary Anazodo and Dr. Blessing Onyima.