Prof Ozor Funds UNN Fellowships and Infrastructure Grants

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has received research and infrastructure support valued at US$87,650 and ₦8 million through interventions by Professor Nicholas Ozor, Executive Director of the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS).

The support covers two postdoctoral fellowships, a PhD scholarship and grants for facilities in the Faculty of Arts and the Department of English and Literary Studies. Professor Ozor disclosed the awards during a briefing to the Vice-Chancellor on his partnership engagements with the university.

Postdoctoral fellowships for UNN researchers

Two academics from UNN’s Department of Computer Science are undertaking postdoctoral research at universities in Nigeria and Ghana with funding totalling US$76,400.

• Dr Ekle Francis Adoba: A US$38,400 fellowship at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
• Dr Ugwu Celestine Ikechukwu: A US$38,000 fellowship at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.

PhD scholarship for ACE-SPED scholar

Professor Ozor also awarded a US$11,250 PhD scholarship to Ms Chisom Ezinne Ogbuanya of UNN’s Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED). The award will support her doctoral studies.

Together, the two postdoctoral fellowships and the PhD scholarship account for the US$87,650 in research and academic support.

₦8 million for solar power and infrastructure

The infrastructure assistance is divided between two university units:

• Faculty of Arts: ₦5 million for solar-powered energy to address electricity needs.
• Department of English and Literary Studies: ₦3 million for infrastructure upgrades ahead of its forthcoming accreditation exercise.

Professor Ozor, a UNN alumnus and development policy expert, said the interventions were intended to support the rebuilding agenda of Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya’s administration.

Vice-Chancellor responds to the support

Professor Ortuanya thanked Professor Ozor for his contributions to the university’s research and human capital development. He encouraged other alumni to offer similar support and urged the beneficiaries to use the grants for their intended purposes.

Professor Ozor leads ATPS, a research and policy network spanning 32 countries across Africa and the diaspora. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed works and mobilised over US$60 million in grants for development initiatives across the continent.