The outgoing Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Kolawole Salako has restated the university’s commitment to ensuring that the university continues to create enabling environment for women to thrive.
Speaking during a Discussion Session held by African Women in Agriculture, Research and Development (AWARD) from Nairobi, Kenya with Fellows of the Programme, the Vice Chancellor noted that FUNAAB has a gender policy for women to aspire to be the best they can be either as an academic, non-teaching or student.
Prof. Salako who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Christian Ikeobi, said the university appreciates the positive contributions the women folks have made and still making in the smooth running of the university administration, stressing that they have contributed immensely to the development of the institution and the nation at large.
The Vice Chancellor noted that women folks have been showcasing themselves by demonstrating their ability to keep up in competing with men favourably in several areas in the university, adding that over the years, female graduands of the university have stood out by winning best graduating students Awards in the university.
According to him, “FUNAAB has about 44 different degree programmes, and over the years, women have been winning awards as best graduating students at the University’s Convocations. Asides this, the university has a gender policy that gives the pride of place to womenfolk to be the best they can be irrespective of their level”.
“We have had about 3 women Deputy Vice Chancellors (Academics), and they have laid a very great solid foundation by contributing substantially to the overall development of the university”, he added
He however appreciated AWARD for the great roles they have been playing in providing various platforms and forums for staff and students of FUNAAB to be trained in the area of leadership development and capacity building in agriculture, research and development while assuring them of further collaborations.
Prof. Salako while declaring the programme open further added that a great deal of the university staff and students have benefitted from the Fellowship, training opportunities and programme that it has provided through the years for participants to reach the zenith of their careers.
Meanwhile, FUNAAB, AWARD Coordinator, Prof. Petra Abdul-saghir disclosed that AWARD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FUNAAB in 2018 to spearhead a project on Gender Development in Agriculture, Research and Development, stressing that it is aimed at ensuring that individual staff is gender responsive in discharging their duties.
According to her, “FUNAAB had been having a kind of beneficial collaboration with AWARD since 2008 and has benefitted greatly from them. In 2018, AWARD signed Mou with FUNAAB to spearhead a project called Gender responsiveness in agricultural research and FUNAAB was one of the 8 universities that was selected”.
“The project entails capacity enhancement for individual staff to be able to be gender responsive in the way they discharge their duties, and over 200 staff of FUNAAB, both men and women have benefited from the project. Other sister institutions around FUNAAB in the six geopolitical zones have also benefited from AWARD through FUNAAB and they have been getting positive responses from such Universities”, she added.
The Coordinator who is also the Head of Department, Agricultural Extension and Rural Development (AERD), College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development, (COLAMRUD), however appreciated the Vice Chancellor for his support, foresight and leadership, and for also creating an enabling environment for AWARD to thrive in FUNAAB over the years.
Responding, the AWARD Team appreciated the university for their support over the years, and
warm welcome received from the University, stressing that AWARD programme is aimed at impacting the institution and their environment and for women to be more visible in their institutional level.
Dr. Batamaka Some who is from Burkinafaso said their visit is to assess, see relevance stability of AWARD and other criteria that can make it useful and standout, adding that they will also share their views with people from the institutional level.
Also, Dr. Pamela Pali from Nairobi stated that AWARD has a capacity development programme that aspires to develop the capacities of women Agricultural Researchers to become confident, capable and influential in the areas and institutions they are working in, adding that the programme will also help develop thecapacity of individual women scientists to be able to improve their leadership capacities.
Also present at the event are Registrar, Dr. ‘Bola Adekola represented by Deputy Registrar, Senate and Admissions (SENAD), Mr. Omowon Agbotoba, Former Acting Vice Chancellor, FUNAAB, Prof. Ololade Enikuomehin, Director, Directorate of Technologists and Technical Staff (DITTECS), Dr. Julius Amira, and Director, Vice Chancellor’s Office, Mr. Moses Iyanda.
