The Africa Centre of Excellence in Phytomedicine Research and Development (ACEPRD) of the University of Jos has received a pat on the back from the World Bank/Association of African Universities (AAU)’s 6th supervision mission to the Project.
The team expressed delight at the steady progress made by the Centre in six months since the last visit. Subject-matter Expert, Prof. Michelle Niescierenko, described the team’s interaction with students of the Centre as very inspiring, as the students talked passionately about great mentorship, scientific research and facilities. She stated that ACEPRD had the potential to bridge the gap between the industry and academia because of the availability of its products which would increase the Centre’s revenue, in the long run, after the World Bank support. She advised the Centre to focus more on internship assessment and pay careful attention to verification processes.
In her remarks, another Subject-Matter Expert, Prof. Hadiza Galadanci, charged the Centre to encourage teamwork in grant writing so that the Centre could win more grants to support itself.
ACE Project Coordinator at the AAU, Prof. Jonathan Mba, expressed satisfaction at the efforts of the Centre in adhering to and implementing the recommendations of the World Bank experts. He charged the Centre to keep up the good work, adding that the students of the Centre paid glowing tributes to the Centre.
The two-day meeting also discussed extensively some key activities of the Centre, namely, international accreditation, internship, e-learning and Anti-snake vaccine. The experts urged the Centre to work out specific cost implications for the production of Mushroom and the Anti-snake vaccine. They emphasised the need for a business plan particularly looking to the Centre’s industry partners for assistance. In the area of e-learning platforms, the experts advised the Centre to use the platforms to reach more students in the region especially in the face of ACE Impact.
Earlier, while providing an update of the Centre’s activities, the Centre Leader and Deputy Centre Leader, Profs. John Aguiyi and Taiwo Alemika, stated that the processes for international accreditation have reached advanced stages with visits paid to the Royal Society of Biology in the UK. They also provided information on the progress of the production of the anti snake venom.
Some management committee members and students of ACEPRD were in attendance.