Sanwo-Olu, Ministers, Foreign Experts for UNILAG’s Int’l Week on Digital Transformation

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has unveiled lead speakers and invited guests for its fourth International Week to include Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and four federal ministers of the federation.

The highly anticipated annual event is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 with the theme “Inclusive Digital Transformation and the University Promise”.

The institution has also partnered with various local and international associates to organise workshops, critical panel sessions  riding on various sub-themes as well as innovation challenges for university students to pitch ingenious ideas to solve power problems in the country.

Lagos Governor, four ministers unveiled as speakers

Lagos Governor, Mr. Sanwo-Olu will headline the opening ceremony at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre at UNILAG’s main campus in Akoka. His address will corroborate Lagos State’s consistent dedication to digital transformation in education as evidenced by his administration’s EkoExcel initiative which has improved educational outcomes in Lagos State primary schools through the introduction of tech-based solutions to support teachers and encourage student engagement, making it a model for other regions in Nigeria.

Apart from the Lagos State Governor, four federal ministers will be part of the opening ceremony, all of whom represent ministries deeply aligned with digitalisation, innovation, and higher education.

Among them is Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. Dr. Tijani, will speak on the federal government’s vision for a technology-driven future in higher education.

The minister will also be present at the awards ceremony of the Innovation Challenge funded by Afretec Network and Mastercard Foundation to support Nigerian students to create innovative solutions to uniquely solve African problems.

One of the major subjects of discussion at the International Week is “Inclusive Digital Transformation and Global Health Equity”, and to give governance perspective to this conversation, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, has been invited to speak on how technology can revolutionise the healthcare sector in Nigeria by training health-care undergraduates to be digital savvy ahead of the digital future so that Nigerians have the chance to access equitable access on par with global standards.

The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, will be present at the opening ceremony to discuss how digital tools can improve education in Nigeria particularly in terms of access and quality.

Also taking the stage will be Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, who will focus on the intersection of science, technology, and education.

He will be sharing how Nigerian universities, like UNILAG, can drive innovations that propel Nigeria towards national development and position the nation as a leader in digital education in Africa.

Cross-border collaborations, participations

The International Week has been designed to draw an international audience of diplomats, academic leaders, policy makers, and industry professionals.

For instance, Diplomats representing the United States of America, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany, among others have been duly invited, and are expected to share their unique perspectives on cross-border collaboration to achieve digital transformation in higher education.

Event line-up

During the week, the discussions will revolve around the potential of digital technologies to transform traditional learning models and facilitate inclusive educational systems, global health equity and sustainable housing and development.

The event will also include several plenary sessions and panel discussions on different areas that digital transformation is applicable, from pedagogical innovation to the future of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Nigerian institutions.

The event is scheduled to feature plenary sessions and panels on how digital technologies can improve various sectors, from higher education to global health and urban planning.

On Day 1, the panel “Inclusive Digital Transformation and the University Promise” will bring together public officials and academics such as Dr. Chris Maiyaki, the Executive Secretary National Universities Commision (NUC), Arch. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede  the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrar, and Prof. Jo Angouri,  the Deputy Pro-Chancellor International at the University of Warwick, discussing how Nigerian universities can drive inclusive digital education.

There will also be a plenary session on “Digital Transformation and Inclusive Higher Education” which will feature public figures such as Professor Bobby Moroe (South African Consulate) and Prof. Jari Porras (LUT University, Finland) on using technology to expand access to education.

Pursuing international standard in academic publishing

Meanwhile, UNILAG has also partnered with Elsevier, a global leader in academic publishing, to provide training for Nigerian journal editors in international best practices in academic publishing.

Through support from the Afretec Network, the training is designed to educate Nigerian academic editors in the requisite skills to raise the quality and visibility of Nigerian academic journals.

The workshop is scheduled for October 21, 2024 at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre (AMDRC) to introduce editors to Digital Commons, Elsevier’s advanced platform that enables the visibility and accessibility of academic journals.

The training will ensure that academic editors from all Nigerian universities in the South West are equipped to meet the rigorous standards required for global recognition such as indexing in Scopus.

Remarks

The Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, noted that this year’s theme of the International Week reflects the institution’s vision of an education system that leaves no one behind in preparation for the digital future.

She also expressed that support from Afretec Network has been invaluable towards achieving the goals of digital transformation at the University of Lagos.

“As Nigeria aims to catch up to global educational standards, events like the International Week are an avenue to have the important and necessary discussions to advocate for and facilitate equitable inter-disciplinary collaborations to reimagine higher education through digital tools.

“Attendees are expected to walk away with actionable insights on how digitalisation can encourage inclusivity beyond the educational sector and across all areas of national development,” she said.

Commenting on the workshop of journal editors, Professor Yetunde Zaid, University Librarian and Head of the Governing Board of the South-West Academic Publishing Center said: “We need Nigerian research outputs to rise to meet international standards. This collaboration will afford our journal editors the opportunity to learn how to use the tools necessary to make their institutional journals globally competitive.

“As we equip our editors with expert knowledge in international publishing standards, we are setting the stage for Nigerian journals to be globally recognised and indexed in Scopus. Our goal is to make Nigerian journals successful.”

Similarly, Professor Ismail Ibraheem, Director of the Office of International Relations, Partnerships and Prospects, said, “Our partnership with Elsevier brings global expertise to our local academic editors. Academic publishing is at the core of what defines scholarship, and this collaboration is a step in the right direction to prepare our universities to meet international standards.

He added that, as the university of first choice and the nation’s pride, UNILAG has continued to forge strategic partnerships to propel itself as well as other Nigerian universities toward global relevance.

“The fourth edition of the University of Lagos International Week revolves round and important theme. UNILAG is working hard to be relevant in the digital future, and is taking other universities along with them,” he added.