Baze University, Abuja, says it is strengthening research, innovation and international collaborations as part of its strategy to build a globally competitive institution and redefine tertiary education in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, stated this on Monday when he received Education Correspondents in his office in Abuja.
Adeniyi said the university was also equipping its students with multidisciplinary and entrepreneurial skills to prepare them for the changing demands of the labour market.
He identified research and innovation as key pillars of the institution’s vision, saying universities must continually generate new knowledge and perspectives to remain relevant in an era of rapid technological advancement.
“Research is the hallmark of development because the essence of research is to provide insights, new perspectives and new dimensions away from the things that we have been doing,” he said.
According to him, Baze University is deliberately cultivating a research-driven academic environment through strategic partnerships, institutional collaborations and the recruitment of scholars with strong research backgrounds.
The Vice-Chancellor further disclosed that the university was planning to introduce external academic examiners from outside Nigeria to periodically assess the work of its faculties and make recommendations for improving academic standards.
He said the initiative would help align the university’s academic processes with global best practices while complementing the regulatory functions of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Adeniyi said the institution was also reviewing its curriculum to ensure that graduates were equipped to operate effectively in a labour market that increasingly demands diverse and cross-disciplinary competencies.
He said entrepreneurial and other skills-based programmes had been introduced across disciplines, stressing that academic certificates alone were no longer sufficient to guarantee success in the modern economy.
“The world has become so transdisciplinary that when people are multi-skilled, they are at a better advantage than the one whose skill is solo,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university’s partnership under the World Bank-supported IDEAS programme was another step towards practical skills development.
He explained that the initiative had contributed to training young Nigerians in skills capable of promoting self-reliance, entrepreneurship and economic participation.
Adeniyi said Baze University was determined to produce graduates who would not only seek employment but also create opportunities, drive innovation and contribute meaningfully to national development.
He pointed to the performance of the university’s alumni across different sectors as evidence of the impact of its multidisciplinary approach, noting that its graduates had emerged as entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals.
On internationalisation, Adeniyi said Baze University was expanding its global outlook, with students from Nigeria and other African countries, particularly those within the West African subregion.
He said the university was developing partnerships with institutions and stakeholders in countries such as Sierra Leone and Kenya, adding that the collaborations would expose students and academics to international opportunities, knowledge and practices.
The Vice-Chancellor said the institution’s long-term ambition was to develop into a university capable of competing with leading institutions globally.
He, however, acknowledged that achieving such an ambition would require patience, deliberate planning and sustained investment.
Adeniyi noted that many of the world’s renowned universities had developed over several centuries, stressing that Baze University was pursuing its own growth through careful planning and consistent implementation of its vision.
He assured that the university would continue to invest in its academic environment, research capacity, international partnerships and human capital while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.
