The University of Ilorin has hosted the 3rd Summit of 28 Universities drawn from eight different countries, under the aegis of ‘D8 Network of Pioneers for Research and Innovation (D8NPRI)’.
The D8 member countries are Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia.
Speaking during the opening of the meeting, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), in his address, titled, Networking and Collaborating for Development, said the essence of the summit is to strengthen collaboration among members with a view to improving multi-disciplinary research that would be beneficial to all members, and communities involved, especially students.
The Vice-Chancellor, who said that collaboration is key to development, expressed the hope that discussions among member countries would provide opportunities for real networking and collaboration for future development.
Towards this end, he said: “The group would leverage technology, factor the emerging issues of Artificial Intelligence, gene editing, quantum computing, and such other great ideas that are shaping our world for future relevance.
“As the most sought-after university and the university with the highest number of foreign students in Nigeria, the University of Ilorin is the latest to join the D8 Network of Pioneers for Research and Innovation (D8NPRI).”
Prof. Egbewole was optimistic that the new partnership would shape the future of the Universities.
The VC added that the collaboration would involve the exchange of students and lecturers as well as joint research and curriculum development, which, he said, could lead to youth employment opportunities for University graduates.
The summit is expected to conclude with a charter to be adopted as the Ilorin charter that would determine how the network of 28 Universities relates and operates to shape the future of the Network and create the road map for all engagements.
