Prof. Akanwa Receives Delegation Of University Of Waterloo, Expresses Mouau’s Readiness To Deepen Its Global Visibility

By Sunday Anyim Okorie, Joy Nlebedum and Ginger-Eke Collins

The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Ursala Ngozi Akanwa, has expressed the University’s readiness to deepen strategic international partnerships that will advance research, innovation, scholarship exchange, capacity building for the University’s global visibility.

Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, stated this while receiving a high-level delegation from the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo), Ontario, Canada, led by Mr. Grant Leach, Senior Recruiter and Business Development Strategist at the University.

Prof. Akanwa described the visit as a valuable opportunity to connect MOUAU’s academic and research expertise with global partners, stressing that the University remained open to collaborations capable of creating meaningful opportunities for researchers, academic staff and students.

She emphasized that strategic international partnerships would enable the University to strengthen research development, knowledge exchange and sustainable development, particularly in areas where collaborative efforts could produce measurable impact.

The engagement, held at the Conference Room of the Vice-Chancellor in the presence of the University’s expanded Management team, provided an opportunity for both institutions to explore areas of mutual interest and pathways for sustainable collaboration.

The University of Waterloo delegation, which included Dr. Adra Raine, Associate Director, Pan-African Initiative for Research (PAIR), and Prof. Onyeka Ezeh, Professor of Linguistics, presented opportunities available to prospective partner institutions.

Mr. Leach and other members of the delegation highlighted University of Waterloo’s research ecosystem, innovation platforms, academic networks and opportunities for international collaboration.

In a reciprocal presentation, the Director, Directorate of Advancement, MOUAU, Prof. Kennedy Onyelowe, showcased the University’s academic, research and infrastructural strengths, particularly in agriculture, science, technology, innovation and other multidisciplinary fields.

Prof. Onyelowe’s presentation highlighted the expertise and institutional resources available at MOUAU and demonstrated its potential as a strategic partner for international institutions.

The meeting subsequently featured an open exchange on possible areas of collaboration, with both institutions exploring practical ways of translating the identified opportunities into sustainable partnerships.

The engagement marks another step in MOUAU’s drive to strengthen its international profile, expand collaborative research opportunities and position itself as a globally competitive institution.