By Aliyu DANLADI
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Sophia University in Japan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote capacity development within the two institutions.
Mr Aristide Ahouassou, the Communication Officer of the bank, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
Ahouassou said that the MoU would also promote mutual benefit for the two organisations and the entire African continent.
He disclosed that the agreement was signed on Friday at the Bank’s Abidjan headquarters.
He said the AfDB’s Senior Vice-President, Charles Boamah, at the event, recognised the importance of the new partnership with the university and lauded the gesture of the leader of the school in traveling to Abidjan to sign the agreement in person.
“The MoU also supports Sophia University’s capacity to educate Japanese young people to be ready to work for the bank. This will be a win-win strategy to improve both organisations’ activities.
“By doing this, we at the African Development Bank would like to give positive impact to the Light up and Power Africa initiative, one of our important strategies to create sustainable development in the continent,” Boamah added.
According to him, the cooperation between the two organisations dates back to 2015, when the Bank’s Asia External Representation Office and Sophia University signed an education partnership agreement.
The communication officer also quoted the President of the university, Prof. Terumichi Yoshiaki, who signed for his institution, as saying that the development would bring brighter future for the institutions.
“It is our sincere wish that this day will be an opening of bright future possibilities for all of us. We strongly hope our coming together today is not for a mere signing of an agreement, but a step towards shaping the future world” Yoshiaki said.
Sophia University, a leading private Jesuit university with a student population of 14,000 (2018), is one of many in the country that host the Japan-Africa Scholarship, which provides two-year scholarships to high achieving African graduate students.
Such scholarship is to enable them undertake post-graduate studies in priority development areas on the continent and abroad.—–NAN
