By Joy Nlebedum, Ginger Eke Collins and Anyim Sunday

The Vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa has charged newly admitted postgraduate students to turn their knowledge and research into practical solutions that will positively impact society.

Delivering her address, the Vice-chancellor represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development, Prof. Princewill Ogbonna gave the charge at the 4th Orientation Exercise for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 Academic Sessions of the Postgraduate School, held at the Senator Anyim Pius Auditorium.

Congratulating the students on their admission, Prof. Akanwa urged them to pursue their studies with discipline, intellectual curiosity, hard work and responsibility. She encouraged them to engage critically in research activities that will bring solutions to societal challenges.

She reaffirmed Management’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for postgraduate education and impactful research through innovation, digitization, entrepreneurship and strategic partnerships.

While speaking at the event, the Dean, Postgraduate School, Engr. Prof. Ogbonna I. Okoro, gave an overview of the School and highlighted the academic rules and regulations guiding postgraduate studies.

He explained that the orientation was designed to acquaint students with postgraduate procedures and expectations, while promoting effective time management, productivity and timely completion of programmes.

The Dean urged the students to maintain productive relationships with their supervisors, undertake independent research and maximize the University’s academic environment. He further reiterated MOUAU’s zero tolerance for extortion, sexual harassment, examination malpractice, intimidation, cultism and other forms of academic misconduct, charging the students to uphold integrity and responsible conduct throughout their studies.

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By Sunday Anyim Okorie, Joy Nlebedum and Ginger-Eke Collins

The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof. Ursala Ngozi Akanwa, has expressed the University’s readiness to deepen strategic international partnerships that will advance research, innovation, scholarship exchange, capacity building for the University’s global visibility.

Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, stated this while receiving a high-level delegation from the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo), Ontario, Canada, led by Mr. Grant Leach, Senior Recruiter and Business Development Strategist at the University.

Prof. Akanwa described the visit as a valuable opportunity to connect MOUAU’s academic and research expertise with global partners, stressing that the University remained open to collaborations capable of creating meaningful opportunities for researchers, academic staff and students.

She emphasized that strategic international partnerships would enable the University to strengthen research development, knowledge exchange and sustainable development, particularly in areas where collaborative efforts could produce measurable impact.

The engagement, held at the Conference Room of the Vice-Chancellor in the presence of the University’s expanded Management team, provided an opportunity for both institutions to explore areas of mutual interest and pathways for sustainable collaboration.

The University of Waterloo delegation, which included Dr. Adra Raine, Associate Director, Pan-African Initiative for Research (PAIR), and Prof. Onyeka Ezeh, Professor of Linguistics, presented opportunities available to prospective partner institutions.

Mr. Leach and other members of the delegation highlighted University of Waterloo’s research ecosystem, innovation platforms, academic networks and opportunities for international collaboration.

In a reciprocal presentation, the Director, Directorate of Advancement, MOUAU, Prof. Kennedy Onyelowe, showcased the University’s academic, research and infrastructural strengths, particularly in agriculture, science, technology, innovation and other multidisciplinary fields.

Prof. Onyelowe’s presentation highlighted the expertise and institutional resources available at MOUAU and demonstrated its potential as a strategic partner for international institutions.

The meeting subsequently featured an open exchange on possible areas of collaboration, with both institutions exploring practical ways of translating the identified opportunities into sustainable partnerships.

The engagement marks another step in MOUAU’s drive to strengthen its international profile, expand collaborative research opportunities and position itself as a globally competitive institution.

On Tuesday, 4 August 2026, the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Professor Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, paid a strategic visit to the Federal Character Commissioner representing Abia State, Hon. Dr. Victor Ikeji. The visit brought together two distinguished Abians committed to institutional excellence and the development of the state.

Professor Akanwa, the seventh substantive and first female Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, assumed office on 1 March 2026. A renowned Professor of Educational Measurement and Evaluation, she has built an outstanding academic career spanning teaching, research, administration and mentorship, with over 100 scholarly publications and more than 10 textbooks to her credit.

Dr. Victor Ikeji serves in the Federal Character Commission, the constitutional body charged with promoting fairness, equity and balanced representation in federal appointments as well as distribution of infrastructural and social amenities. His office plays a vital role in ensuring that qualified Abians receive equitable access to opportunities within the Federal Public Service.

The meeting underscored the importance of collaboration between academia and public institutions. While MOUAU is a leading centre for agricultural research, innovation and manpower development, the Federal Character Commission provides a platform for promoting inclusion, fairness and institutional access.

Both leaders reflected on the need not only to sustain but to surpass the university’s current achievements. MOUAU must continue to translate research into practical solutions that improve agriculture, strengthen food security, create jobs and stimulate sustainable economic development in Abia State.

The university’s founding vision remains as relevant today as ever: providing practical knowledge that drives agricultural transformation, agribusiness development and rural prosperity. This vision aligns with the broader aspiration of building a more productive and self-reliant Abia.

The visit also opened opportunities for stronger institutional partnerships, improved access for qualified Abians to federal opportunities, enhanced research support and the deliberate application of academic knowledge to solving the developmental challenges facing the state.

Ultimately, the meeting between Professor Ursula Ngozi Akanwa and Hon. Dr. Victor Ikeji was more than a courtesy call. It symbolised the convergence of scholarship and public service—a partnership that holds great promise for advancing excellence, equity and sustainable development for Ndi Abia.