Summer school on Oceanography kicks off in Nigeria 

… As UNILAG VC makes case for more research

Abimbola Abatta

The first Costal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria (COESSIN) has kicked off in the country, Nigerian NewsDirect reports.

At the opening ceremony of the summer school, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, FAS, tasked stakeholders in the field of Marine and Ocean Studies to conduct more research.

Professor Ogundipe, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics and Research, UNILAG, Prof. Bola Oboh, said the long-term goal of the summer school, since inception in 2015, has been to increase the presence of African scientists at international science meetings.

Noting that very little research has been done into how coastal countries in West Africa can optimally utilise their marine resources for shared prosperity, she said the research deficit is due to the lack of infrastructure for on-site work, lack of capacity development, and comprehensive datasets to undertake oceanographic research.

“To address the trend, the Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe administration has continued to foster international partnerships with several institutions globally including, University of Michigan, in order to speed up learning and academic exchange that will impact society,” she said.

Earlier, the Lead Facilitator of the School and Professor of Physical Oceanography, the University of Michigan, Prof. Brian Arbic, explained that research partnerships, laboratories, field trips, panels, and tutorials have been incorporated into the school in order improve the learning experience of participants.

Prof. Arbic charged West African coastal countries to awake to the profitability of their marine endowments, adding that they should get ready resources to face the challenges being encountered on the sea.

Meanwhile, the week-long summer school programme, which commenced on Monday, August 1 will end on Friday, August 5, 2022.

Nigerian NewsDirect reports that the school is an endorsed project of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.