The Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, has lauded Opolo Global Innovation on her efforts to promote research and innovation across Nigerian campuses. Egbewole said this while receiving the Opolo Global team led to his office by the outgoing Director of Computer Services and Information Technology at the University, Prof. Dupe Ademola-Popoola during the presentation of DCOMSIT award winners. The Vice Chancellor commended Opolo Global on her efforts in promoting research and innovation across Nigeria and beyond. He then added that the university was ready to move its partnership forward aiming to outperform other Opolo’s partner institutions in years to come.
In her opening remarks, Prof. Dupe Ademola-Popoola, presented the five finalists of the DCOMSIT Award 2023 to the Vice Chancellor and introduced Opolo Global as a technical partner that turned around the 2023 competition beyond its original scope. She then applauded the social enterprise for the expertise brought on board to make this year’s competition a resounding success.
In his speech, Opolo Global’s Head of Special Project, Deji Ajani, averred that the partnership between Opolo Global and the University was aimed at providing a platform for innovators, either as researchers or students, in the University to build and scale innovations that would benefit all stakeholders in the University community. He emphasized that as the proposed innovation hub was in progress, plans and programmes that would benefit the entire University ecosystem were in the pipeline.
Ajani further made it known to the Vice Chancellor that to start with, the 5 innovations discovered from the competition would be admitted to the Opolo Incubation Programme, which was worth millions of Naira, and the students will be given opportunities to be admitted to the 1st tier Opolo-Unilorin Startup Ecosystem.
The visit, which had in attendance key principal officers such as Prof. Olubunmi Omotesho, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics; Prof. Suleiman Ambali, Deputy Vice Chancellor Management Services; Dr. Omopupa Kamal Tunde, University Librarian, and Mr. Olalekan Hakeem Sonde, University Bursar, was brought to a close with the presentation of a gift item from Opolo to the Vice Chancellor.