Promise Etim
Capacity building is a core necessity for organizational growth. The United Nations defines it as a process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, activities, and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world.
The above was exemplified on Monday, 25th July 2022, when the management of Akwa Ibom State University organized a retreat for its staff. The aim was to enable them to unlearn practices high-ranking institutions had long discarded, reflect on the status quo, and embrace innovative ideas that would optimize productivity.
Addressing participants, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nse Essien, said the programme would enhance the capacity of academic and non-academic staff in teaching, research, and community development. He said the trio is the core of any higher institution of learning.
Delivering a lecture on Emerging Trends in University Administration and Research, Professor Akaneren Essien lamented the low efficacy in quality of research output in higher institutions of learning, citing that no nation can develop optimally without a strong synergy between the policymakers, the industry, and the academia.
Essien, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo and visiting scholar to the National Universities Commission, tasked the staff of the University with the need to upgrade their skills in research proposal writing, pursuing collaboration with institutions that have earned a reputation over the years. He urged staff to take advantage of opportunities provided by TETfund and other relevant agencies for financing research.
The need to optimize revenue using resources available in the institution was also highlighted by Professor Don Baridam while delivering a lecture on ‘Options for accessing funding for academic research.
Although the policy thrust mandates the Government to fund education, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt believes the model is no longer sustainable in the 21st century. He advocated for increased participation of the private sector in funding tertiary institutions and establishing viable commercial ventures that would help revenue generation for the financial need of the institution (AKSU).
On transgenerational leadership, Professor Vincent Anigbogu, a renowned scholar, and life coach, said Nigeria must embrace value-based education as a panacea for raising the next generation of leaders to enable the country to bridge the development gap.
Professor Anigbogu is the progenitor of the Institute for National Transformation (INT), with branches across Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He said value-based education is key to recalibrating the mindset of Africans towards leadership and developing inclusive management skills capable of transforming organizations, communities, and nations.
In the past five years, Professor Anigbogu and his team have organized capacity-building retreats for members of the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council on themes such as Responsibility in leadership; Discipline Execution of Programmes and Projects; Developing Strategic Plans for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies in the State; Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects; The Completion Agenda; Teaming for Excellence, amongst others.
The interactive sessions anchored by: Dr. Ettah Bassey Essien (Economics Department); Dr. Edna Augustine Akpan (Director of AKSU Commercial Farms); and Mr. Raphael Ukeme (Head of Human Resources), respectively allowed staff members to ask relevant questions and contribute to the discourse.
The Registrar of Akwa Ibom State University, Dr. Ebi Eno-Ibanga, thanked staff members for taking advantage of the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of critical performance indicators for university growth. She lauded the management for the initiative and applauded the guest speakers for accepting to be part of the retreat.
