Africa Centre of Excellence (A

African Centre Of Excellence, ICT Centre, OAU Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria

Science, Technology and Innovation have become key factors contributing to economic growth in both advanced and developing economies. ICT sector plays an important role, notably by contributing to rapid technological progress and productivity growth. It is now clear that ICT now render international boundaries irrelevant whereby several modern activities transcend international boundaries, which, connotes that we live in a boundless world that is becoming a smaller place.

The major driver behind this is “Software”. Software systems are at the core of many recent advances in science and technology ranging from medical analytical systems that drive the human genome system to applications that power our mobile telephones and telecommunications infrastructure.

Software is now the vehicle for implementing some key elements of a knowledge economy. In the knowledge economy, the software industry is the power house of nation’s socio economic development. Software industry is one of the most compelling areas of ICT that Nigeria in particular and African in general can easily become a significant player in the world for the simple reason that software will be everywhere and part of nearly everything, however, there is skill shortage in the area of ICT in general and software development in particular in Africa. This challenge calls for a centre of excellence to increased and sustained effort to train high quality manpower required.

The Centre aims to create a regionally-recognized and acknowledged model that is driven by high quality postgraduate education for uptake and commercialization ofresearch and technology to advance the growth of ICT industry. The Centre will provide the launch pad for start-up companies borne out of university research activities, and collaboration with partnering ICT companies, who will have the competitive advantage of proximity and direct access to the intellectual infrastructureand output of the university.

The Centre will also ensure systematic incubation of research ideas and products from OAU and other partner HEIs such that the creative/innovative energy of the teeming youths is harnessed into ICT entrepreneurial endeavors using appropriate skill-enhancing training and mentoring.

The primary goal will be to provide excellent training for national and regional students for Master and PhD degree programs in ICT and related disciplines.

Specifically, the objectives of ACE-031 project are to:

i. Develop a center of excellence in ICT as a training hub in software engineering for Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region.

ii. Develop the next generation of scientists, researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs and product developers in the area of ICT through appropriate practice-anchored capacity building measures and enrolling new postgraduate students from Nigeria and the sub-region.

iii. Stimulate creativity and excellence in research and innovation in ICT applicable to other fields and related to regional developmental objectives, in postgraduate students, with opportunities for industrial research uptake through the Centre model.

iv. Expand learning opportunities for postgraduate students in all the sectors, by deploying existing and new developments in ICT, for which OAU is leading in the sub-region.

v. Leverage on the intellectual infrastructure and output of the university to serve as the launch pad for start-up ICT companies borne out of university research activities, by partnering companies. For example the OAU Phase I Centre of Excellence in Software Engineering exhibited two software developed within the short space of its existence recently, causing CHAMS Nigeria PLC (an industry-partner in this initiative as well) to enter into an Agreement to establish its software development hub at the University. The Centre will be the natural habitat for more of such developments.