• UNIZIK is addressing infrastructural challenges while fostering innovation in various sectors.
• The university’s initiatives aim to improve education, healthcare, and technology in Nigeria.
Addressing Infrastructure Challenges at UNIZIK
Despite facing the infrastructure challenges, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, headquartered in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria, remains dedicated to providing an excellent education. To improve access to information resources, the university’s library system—that consists of the Festus Aghagbo Nwako Library in Awka as well as other libraries in Nnewi and Agulu—has been upgraded with more internet bandwidth. However, challenges including insecure electricity supplies, an abundance of funding, and low ICT literacy continue to render it tough to deliver productive library services.
UNIZIK begins a variety of attempts that will improve its services and infrastructure in response to these issues. As an instance, the National Universities Commission (NUC) decided on the university for participation in the Blueprint-ICT Development Project, who aims to enhance ICT administration and infrastructure in Nigerian universities. Such efforts illustrate UNIZIK’s devotion to solving hurdles concerning buildings and giving its students an enjoyable learning atmosphere.
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Innovations Driving Change at UNIZIK
Despite physical difficulties, UNIZIK has overseen an assortment of imaginative initiatives which tackle major issues in Nigeria. The university’s Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Nigeria Hub is one important initiative. To try to locate health-related social innovations that would promote universal health coverage in Nigeria, this initiative presented a crowdsourcing challenge. Three of the best and most creative proposals that grew from the challenge seemed a mobile clinic, a digital health solution, and a community-based health insurance program.
UNIZIK additionally took part in the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Global AgriInno Challenge 2021. Through a concentrate on transforming rural villages into “Digital Villages” that boost production, nutrition, the environment, and their standard of life, this challenge was to tie youth-led innovation to the agri-food agricultural sector. Through such initiatives, UNIZIK is supporting global efforts in agriculture and health in besides tackling regional problems.
