The University of Benin (UNIBEN) has hosted the Centre for Reproductive Health and Innovation (CERHI)’s second International Advisory Board (IAB) workshop, campus, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Osasere Orumwense, represented by the Dean, Post Graduate School, Professor V. E. Omozuwa.
The objectives of the Workshop included updating board members on the Centre’s activities over the previous years; designing a roadmap for further action on the project; and seeking renewed commitment of partners to the project implementation. Other objectives were to fully develop an action plan for research collaboration between CERHI and international partner institutions; and to identify potential areas of fund-raising and grant/proposal writing for the sustainability of the Project.
Highlighting the achievements of CERHI, the Centre Leader, Professor Friday Okonofua, informed participants that the Centre’s Secretariat was near completion and e-learning materials had been procured to facilitate teaching and research.
In a presentation on internship and mentorship programmes at CERHI, Dr. Peter Sede disclosed that the Centre’s outstanding students are sponsored for a one-month internship with partner-universities, abroad.
Representative of Queens University, Belfast/University of Leeds (both, partner-institutions in the UK), Professor Ukpai Eze, who delivered a lecture on Mycotoxins Exposure, Maternal and Child Health in the African Population, expressed the universities’ willingness to partner with CERHI in teaching and research.
Another representative of a partner-institution, University of Alabama, Professor Andreij Kulczychi, conveyed his institution’s readiness to welcome interns from CERHI. He, however, expressed concern about delays in visa processing.
Also present at the workshop were other principal officers of the Centre, representatives of other partner institutions, including the University of Niamey, Niger Republic; National Universities Commission (NUC) and National Bureau of Statistics, among others.
In another development, CERHI recently held an orientation ceremony for newly-admitted students, who were educated on the history and traditions of the University and given necessary information about Centre.
Declaring the event open, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated the students on their admission into the highly-competitive programme, considering the number of candidates that had sought admission into the Centre. He tasked the students to take advantage of the quality of education that they would be exposed to, under the ACE project, and charged them to be worthy ambassadors of the University.
Earlier, in his welcome address the Dean of Students Affairs, Professor Osagiede, charged the students to take advantage of the opportunity that CERHI provided for quality education and wished them the best during the course of their programme.
The two-day event, which afforded the students the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the various faculties, departments and units in the University, was anchored by the Deputy Registrar and Secretary, School of Post Graduate Studies, Mr. Richmond Omagbemi and attended by the Centre Leader, Professor Friday E. Okonofua; Deputy Centre Leader, Professor Obehi Okojie; Centre Coordinator, Professor Onakewhor; the Dean, School of Post Graduate Studies, Professor Omozuwa and other Heads of Departments.