University of Bamenda: Staff, postgraduate students schooled on research planning.

This, officials said, is in order to carry out research that is meaningful and can contribute to solve problems in the community and bring about national growth and development.

This was in a one-day research planning seminar that took place November 20 on campus of the University of Bamenda. It was under the auspices of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Theresa Nkuo Akenji.

The seminar was organised under the theme: “Aligning UBa research and professional training towards meeting the National Development Strategic goals (NDS30)”. 

In her Keynote presentation during the event, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Theresa Nkuo Akenji, stated that the seminar is focused on grantsmanship to discuss the research agenda of the university and see if the research activities of the University of Bamenda is progressively aligning with the national development goals.

She added that University of Bamenda’s research achievements over past decades have been significant, including publication and graduate training.

“The new law on the orientation of higher education demands that all research should be relevant to the needs of the community and contribute to development. At the University of Bamenda, we are doing this and I urge you to do more,” she said. 

“We must aim at carrying out research that can contribute to solving problems in our society and making the public aware of this research output at open days,” the Vice Chancellor stated.

She continued that in the pursuit to strengthen the institution through policies and contribute to the advancement of the agro food system of the country, the University of Bamenda, through the Regional Forum for Capacity Building and Agriculture, RUFORUM, alongside other African Universities, applied for a third party grant which was successful.

The Vice Chancellor disclosed that University of Bamenda’s research areas of interest are grouped in nine main categories; teaching, training and human capital development for technical and general education, computer sciences, hygiene, health and biotechnology, engineering, renewable energy and sustainable development, language, communication, ecotourism and history, international trade, transport and logistics, earth system science, agriculture and adaptability to climate change in the grassfield, civic rights, governance and law.

In his presentation during the seminar, titled; “Grantsmanship: What makes proposals work”, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Teaching, Professionalisation and Development of Information and Communication Technology, Prof Suh Emmanuel Cheo, noted some steps involved in grant presentation. 

“Prepare to innovate and change direction, follow directions, try to mix something old with something new, build a context. Be sure that you got the right target,” he stated. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3302 of Tuesday November 26, 2024