Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Edoxi Training Institute, Dubai, United Arab Emirate has agreed to collaborate on Distance Learning programme.
The university’s spokesperson, Malam Auwal Umar said in a statement on Wednesday, saying the university and the Dubai institute reached the agreement when a team led by ABU, Zaria Vice-Chancellor Professor Kabiru Bala visited the Dubai-based Institute.
The statement explained that the ABU team during the visit undertook the promotion and advocacy of academic programmes run by the institution through its Distance Learning Centre.
He said while in Dubai, the ABU team had a series of high-level meetings with Edoxi Training Institute, a strategic partner of ABU based in United Arab Emirates.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bala said “the ABU Distance Learning Centre which was recently rated as the best in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission (NUC) was the right vehicle to drive the initiative.
“It was all about collaboration between the University and Edoxi Training Institute towards promoting ABU programmes within UAE and the effort had yielded results as the two organisations agreed to collaborate on a number of workable areas.”
Edoxi Training Institute also accepted to promote ABUDLC within UAE and Asia as a whole, in addition to identifying for ABU a number of programmes that portend huge patronage within Asia, if delivered via robust online means, the statement said.
‘It was further agreed that the Institute would work to see that all identified short training courses are certified by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE, Mohammed Dansanta Rimi, described as laudable the initiative by the University to promote its academic programmes run by the Distance Learning Centre beyond Nigeria.
The envoy thanked the Vice-Chancellor and other members of the team for the visit and pledged to continue to support the University in this direction.
At the Nigerian Consulate in Dubai, the Director, ABU Distance Learning Centre, Prof. Muhammed Ibrahim Sule, spoke on the DLC’s model of distance education, available programmes and the quality assurance framework put in place.
In her remarks, the Consul-General, Her Excellency, Tayyibat Atinuke Mohammed, pledged to support and promote the ABU initiative.