Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and Central South University (CSU), China, agreed on Sunday, December 21, to revive and expand their 3+2 double degree partnership, aimed at deepening technology education and skills development in Nigeria.
Auwalu Umar, ABU’s director of public affairs, disclosed this in a statement.
He said that ABU’s 3+2 dual degree program with CSU started in 2017 as a pilot, was launched in 2018, but faced suspension in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the scheme, students spend three years in Nigeria and two years at CSU in China to earn degrees from both institutions.
Umar said both institutions have decided to reactivate the partnership after renewed commitments at a virtual meeting on December 19.
He said both institutions restated their interest in international collaboration across engineering, science, and technology education.
Umar explained that the partnership, initiated under the China-Africa Cooperation framework, has trained 45 pilot students.
“The programme commenced in 2018 with 45 ABU students studying in China, but was disrupted in 2021 by COVID-19 lockdowns, though it demonstrated strong benefits of cross-border academic cooperation globally,” he said.
Adamu Ahmed, vice-chancellor of ABU, described the initiative as a flagship model for engineering education.
He added that the initiative also strengthen global partnerships, boost technology transfer, innovation, research capacity and human capital development in Nigeria.
Ahmed said the revived scheme includes an expansion plan covering staff exchange, joint research supervision, renewable energy, computer engineering, and medical sciences.
He described the ABU-CSU partnership as a strong example of China-Africa cooperation in technology advancement.
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