UNILAG Professor Urges Investment in Infrastructure to Support Digital Education

By Oluwatoyin Adewale, Oluwafeyikemi Olanipekun

Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, the Director of the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), has called for increased investment in infrastructure to support digital education in Nigeria. She made this call at the fourth edition of the Professors Without Borders (PROWIBO) Annual Academy Training, which was held from July 21 to July 25 at the Faculty of Law, UNILAG.

The workshop, themed “Empowering Digital Transformation: Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability”, was attended by 75 students and 40 academic and non-academic staff from various faculties in UNILAG.

Speaking on the significance of the event, Professor Ogwezzy-Ndisika noted that the training program demonstrated Nigeria’s readiness to adopt digital innovation. However, she pointed out that provision and access to digital platforms are still major challenges to digital innovation. She further encouraged technological stakeholders and international partners to step in to address this problem in Nigeria. 

As a potential solution to the challenges of provision and access, Professor Ogwezzy-Ndisika called on private sector employers, especially tech companies, to support the universities that train their workforce. “All our own tech companies should also support various universities as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)…. because we train the human capital they use. Give us the necessary support we need, and we deliver. Our students excel when they leave,” she said.

Additionally, she urged the government and international partners to treat access to digital education as a shared responsibility. “The international community should see it as part of their support for the emerging economies,” she said.

Professors Without Borders (PROWIBO) is a UK-based nonprofit organisation that connects academic professionals with universities in developing countries to deliver short-term training programs.

Sharing his experience from the program, Nnamani Collins, a third-year Adult Education Student, said, “We gained computer skills and leadership skills and learned how to prepare for interviews, create cover letters and develop surveys for research.”