A four-man delegation from the Durban University of Technology, South Africa, has visited Covenant University, in conjunction with the British Council, on a partnership drive mission, with a dual view of finding solutions to Youth Employability and Climate Change in Africa.

While welcoming them into his office, the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, affirmed that they have come to the very right place for this laudable collaboration as Covenant University has always been at the forefront of driving entrepreneurship from the 100 level, even to the highest degree in the University and that is why the University has been adjudged as the University with the ‘Most Employable Graduates,’ many times over.

He continued by saying that the issue of youth unemployment in Africa is also in the front burner in Africa, and its very disheartening that even with all the resources at the disposal of African countries, most graduates in Africa remain unemployed and it is just less than 10% of graduates in Nigeria that are adequately employed after graduation.

The delegation consisting of Professor Oludayo Olugbara, Executive Dean, Faculty of Accounting and Informatics, Durban University of Technology (DUT); Professor Sunday O. Ojo, Project lead Manager for the British Council funded Climate Change Literacy Youth Employability and Job Creation for Sub Saharan Africa; Ms L Brady, Program Coordinator and Lecturer, DUT, and Ms Moodley Ugeshin, Faculty Engagement Officer, DUT; were in Covenant University to seek collaborative platforms from the University.

The team talked about the creation of a platform for students and youths in Africa who have been belaboured by the challenges of Climate Change and acute unemployment in Africa and how to combat these two challenges by creating game-changing avenues for them to remedy the challenges, as well as, create not only employment but to also commercialize their ventures.

The visitors also talked about the fact that the youths need to do away with the ‘blame game’ syndrome but take active part in ensuring that they participate in evolving a better world for themselves in all schemes of things by taking absolute responsibility of their environment.

Professor Olugbara also spoke of involving the students in active practical work away from the classrooms, where they would have the opportunity to make use of what they have learned in class and apply it to the challenges that are all around them.

The team is also desirous of collaborating with other aspects of the University disciplines like that of the aspect of Natural Languages Research with the Department of Computer and Information Sciences of Covenant University.

Also present in the meeting were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olujide Adekeye; the Registrar, Mrs. Regina Tobi-David; Dean, College of Science and Technology, Professor Timothy Anake amongst others.