Kogi State Polytechnic says it is partnering Africa Tomorrow Plus Foundation, an NGO, to establish Environmental Resource Information Centre for providing capacity building and linkages for its students.
Mr Lugard Okonobo, Director General, Nigeria Women Economic Development (NigWED), made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Okonobo said that the Rector of the polytechnic, Prof. Salisu Ogbo, has given approval for the establishment of the Centre to place Lokoja, the Kogi capital, on the global education ranking amongst its peers.
He said that the initiative was led by Africa Tomorrow Plus Foundation, a Germany and Nigeria-based NGO and supported by NigWED Project and other partners.
Okonobo said that the partners would be providing technical assistance and supports for lecturers and students to leverage the power of information sharing, training, knowledge transfer, design of projects and programmes management.
“The African Tomorrow Plus Germany and SEEED Coop (Operator of NigWED Project), promoter of Initiative for Volunteers Development (IVD-Africa) in Africa, is a platform designed to engage and empower young Africans to leverage the power of information resources.
“This is to build partnership with multi-stakeholders aimed at providing sustainable environmental management programmes and projects.
“The centre’s activities are under the supervision of Dr Abraham Samuel, the Dean, School of Environmental Technology, who has demonstrated immense support for the take-off of the centre,” he said.
Okonobo said that the centre would design short, medium and long-term programmes covering Urban and Regional Planning; Survey and Geo-Informatics, Building Technology and Architecture Departments, with the objectives and benefits.
He added that the centre would also receive some state-of-the-art facilities, such as geo-survey equipment, computer aided design hardware and software, internet connectivity and 2-Support technical personnel.
Other inputs, he said, would include Information and Educational Campaign-IEC materials aimed to provide students and lecturers the opportunity to access up-to-date information resources.
“The centre is set to plant a climate resilient 10,000 (vines) seedling of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP) to provide nutrition support for students.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the centre was conceived by Mr Lugard Okonobo, a development expert, who doubles as Director-General of NigWED Project as well as President, SEEED Multipurpose Cooperative Society.
By Perpetua Onuegbu, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA