Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has received a £30,000 catalytic grant from the British Council to support a nationwide project on developing women leaders in academia.
The initiative, revealed by Prof. Adetoro Adegoke of Buckinghamshire New University, is implemented in a 50-50 partnership between ABUAD and the UK institution.
The project aims to promote gender equality and expand women’s leadership in higher education across Nigeria. The British Council fund runs for one year and is intended to catalyse further support, including a potential £8 million grant from the Wellcome Trust over five years.
Prof. Adegoke highlighted that ABUAD’s extensive involvement, with more project officers and research associates on the ground, positions the university to gain significantly from the collaboration.
ABUAD Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, urged women in academia to overcome systemic barriers, societal pressures, and self-doubt to assume leadership roles.
The event also saw the commissioning of the university’s New Horizons ICT Centre, equipped with 150 computers, designed to enhance students’ and lecturers’ digital capabilities.
Olarinde encouraged students to leverage the facility to excel globally, reaffirming the university’s commitment to fostering an enabling environment for learning and leadership development.
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