Kasie Abone, Awka
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State Capital, has advanced its internationalisation agenda with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kigali Independent University (ULK), Rwanda, to strengthen academic collaboration, research, and innovation for staff and student development.
The agreement, signed virtually on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, establishes a five-year strategic partnership designed to promote academic, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two institutions while expanding opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building across Africa.
The partnership covers a broad range of disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Education, Humanities, Management Sciences and the Social Sciences. It is expected to facilitate the exchange of expertise, foster joint research initiatives, and enhance institutional development through collaborative programmes.
Under the agreement, both universities will jointly organise conferences, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, symposia and short professional courses in areas of mutual interest. They will also collaborate on research projects addressing contemporary societal challenges, jointly publish scholarly works, develop academic curricula, and exchange scientific information and academic publications.
The MoU further provides for staff development programmes, exchange of academic and administrative personnel, undergraduate and postgraduate student exchange initiatives, cultural exchange activities, and joint supervision of Master’s and PhD research. The two institutions also agreed to hold periodic meetings to evaluate progress and identify new areas of cooperation.
To ensure effective implementation, each university will appoint a designated MoU Coordinator to oversee agreed programmes. The agreement also contains provisions protecting intellectual property rights arising from joint research and innovation while enabling both institutions to seek internal and external funding to support collaborative activities.
Speaking during the virtual signing ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, highlighted the university’s academic strength, campuses and affiliated institutions, expressing confidence that the partnership would deepen research collaboration, broaden academic opportunities and contribute to the advancement of higher education across Africa.
According to him, the collaboration aligns with UNIZIK’s vision of expanding its global footprint through strategic international partnerships that will benefit staff, students and the wider academic community.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Alex Asigbo; the Registrar, Dr. Chinenye Gloria Okeke; the University Librarian, Prof. Jacinta Eze; and the Director of International Collaboration and Linkages, Prof. Charles Nwadigwe.
On the Rwandan side, the Vice-Chancellor of Kigali Independent University, Prof. Martins Onyekwelu Onuorah, signed the agreement on behalf of the institution and reaffirmed ULK’s commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the partnership through the appointment of a dedicated institutional coordinator.
The MoU will remain in force for an initial period of five years, with provisions for renewal by mutual consent.
The latest agreement marks another milestone in UNIZIK’s expanding global engagement strategy, reinforcing the university’s commitment to building strategic international partnerships that promote excellence in teaching, research, innovation, capacity building and academic mobility for staff and students.
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