UNILAG, UNDP make case for ’thought-leadership’ to foster innovation, change

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade Ogunsola, and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, have underscored the importance of Thought-Leadership in driving change and fostering innovation.

During a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office at the University of Lagos on April 5, Prof. Ogunsola expressed UNILAG’s readiness to host UNDP Nigeria’s initiative: UNI-Port. This initiative aims to support innovation and channel creativity towards addressing contemporary challenges.

In her remarks, Elsie Attafuah, the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, expressed keen interest in fostering collaborations and partnerships with UNILAG and other prestigious institutions in Nigeria. The goal is to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address their declining trajectory.

While expressing concerns over the devastating effects of conflicts, climate change, poor energy and gender bias among other challenges plaguing the African continent, Attafuah took solace in the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its disruptive impact on all spheres, a development, which she said, requires the involvement and concerted effort of the intellectual community epitomised by universities.

The UNDP Nigeria Resident Representative identified digital skills as tools of the future and stressed the need for all stakeholders, especially the academic community, to fashion out modalities to accommodate the out-of-school population in Nigeria in digital skills acquisition schemes.

Other areas of discussion tilted towards: programme development, management and implementation, organisational and strategic management, partnerships brokering, resource mobilisation, external relations and diplomacy, applied research and policy analysis, good governance, youth, gender and civil society issues.

In her response, Professor Folasade Ogunsola pointed out that UNILAG has been on a course of change especially in the mindset of faculty members, as well as championing the development of Artificial Intelligence with focus on Fin-tech and Health-tech.

These milestones, she noted, are better reflected in the quality of multidisciplinary research partnerships and the number of innovative collaborations which the university has enjoyed in recent years.

The UNILAG Vice Chancellor acknowledged the paradigm shift in the focus of universities from its timorousness of yesteryears, to a more actively engaging entity especially with industry and policy makers.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade Ogunsola, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to collaborating with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria in driving initiatives aimed at positively transforming the narrative and strengthening the role of universities in fostering growth and development across Africa.

Elsie Attafuah, who assumed her role as the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria in February 2024, visited UNILAG as part of her official duties to formally engage with university management. The purpose of her visit was to initiate discussions aimed at reinforcing ongoing efforts to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).