Bi-Institutional Partnership between Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) Germany and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI) Nigeria

Executive Summary

Friday 30^th April 2021 marked a very important milestone on engineering education at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI) Nigeria. On that date the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sunday Oge Elom signed the Inter-institutional Agreement 2020-2023 for ERASMUS+ Mobility Program. This signing event was a very important stage in the Bi-Institutional Partnership between Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) Germany and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), Nigeria. Mr. Chukwuemeka Onaa initiated the partnership within the framework of Good Governance Structure for Strengthening Engineering Education at AE-FUNAI. The bi-institutional partnership is a step change designed with the core strategic objective to enhance engineering training, education, research, and development at AE-FUNAI, and a contribution to the wider Nigerian engineering education space. The TUBAF & AE-FUNAI bi-institutional partnership initiative is broadly in line with extant global best practices, which the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) is assiduously working on, through other innovative initiatives such as the emerging Outcome Based Education (OBE) in Nigerian Universities.

The components of the bi-institutional partnership include;  

• Academic exchange/mobility program which program allows academics, scholars, researchers, and students to visit Freiberg on study/research stays/internships.
• Donation of engineering equipment/tools for teaching purposes. 
• Engaging industry partners and more, to offer further support: e.g., Educational Consulting; Design of modern Engineering Syllabus/Curricula etc. 

Since November 2018, several bi-directional communications have been held between the Faculty and our partners in Germany. These include Mr. Chukwuemeka Onaa and Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg Unland of TU Bergkademie Freiberg Germany. The communications were held via different channels; emails, WhatsApp platform, telephone calls, teleconferences, and ZOOM Virtual Online Meetings. The 2^nd Vice-Chancellor Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba was constantly updated on the progress.

One of the outputs of the bi-institutional partnership initiative include European Commission funding under the ERASMUS+ Mobility Program for Staff/Students of AE-FUNAI from 2020-2023. The program is an international collaborative teaching, research, development, and dissemination (RD&D). Mr. Chukwuemeka Onaa is the Project Initiator and Coordinator, and Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg Unland is the Project Advisor.  Mr. Onaa hails from Ebonyi State Nigeria and is currently enrolled as a PhD researcher at the Freiberg University of Technology and Mining, Germany. Engr. Prof. Onuegbu Ugwu is the Project Coordinator and Chairman AE-FUNAI ERASMUS+ Mobility Program Committee. He was; the 2nd Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology (May 2018 – March 2020); Pioneer Head, Civil Engineering Department (Oct. 2015 – Sept. 2017); and Pioneer Director, Research and Development AE-FUNAI (Nov.2016 – May 2018). The ensuing sections chronicle the process and sequence of events that culminated in the bi-institutional partnership, and the progress to date.        

Evolution of Bi-institutional Partnership for High-quality Engineering Education in AE-FUNAI

The Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike (AE-FUNAI) was established in 2015 under the leadership of the pioneer Vice-Chancellor Late Distinguished Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe. The university admitted the first set of engineering students in October 2015. Conscious of the plethora of challenges in running an engineering faculty in the present-day Nigerian University System, the Faculty with the support of University Management initiated and conveyed an inaugural meeting of Engineering Parents Forum AE-FUNAI on Thursday 13^th April 2017. The inaugural parents’ forum was the first of such initiative in a Nigerian public university, which made some observers jokingly refer to the innovative concept of University Parents’ Forum as “a glorified parents’/teachers’ association”. However, the faculty remained undaunted in her quest for an alternative source that could contribute funding for the development of the faculty and university. At the inaugural meeting, the second Vice-Chancellor Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba made a passionate appeal to the parents and other stakeholders/friends of the university, to contribute towards sustainable growth of the faculty and the university. One of the attendees at the meeting was Mr Chukwuemeka Onaa who represented one of the parents. Mr Onaa, is a Nigerian and a PhD candidate at the Technische Universität Bergkademie Freiberg (TUBAF) Germany. He took particular interest in the Vice-Chancellor’s passionate appeal at the meeting.  

Mr Onaa later contacted the Directorate of Internationalization AE-FUNAI in November 2018 and expressed his interest to assist AE-FUNAI and contribute to the growth of the faculty and university. The Director of Internationalization (Prof. Chukwuonso Ejike) contacted the Dean of Engineering (Engr. Prof. Onuegbu Ugwu). Consequently, he established direct follow-up contact with Mr Onaa.

The Faculty set up a special team in Mechanical Engineering Department to identify detailed user requirements as they were the most immediate direct beneficiaries and end-users of the project outputs. The Dean of Engineering directed the Head of Mechanical Engineering Department Engr. Prof. Simeon Neife who constituted a committee for that purpose. Members of the committee included:

Engr. Prof. B. A. Okorie    –     Chairman
Engr. Dr. C. S. Obayi          –     Member
Engr. Dr. U. P. Onochie      –     Member
Engr. Dr. S. O. Effiom         –    Secretary

Thereafter, the two universities assiduously worked on “Bi-institutional Partnership for High-quality Engineering Education in AE-FUNAI”.  

The components of bi-intuitional partnership include; 

1. Development of curricula and Staff Training
2. Academic Exchange Programme
3. Organization of joint academic and scientific activities
4. Exchange of academic staff for lectures, conferences, and research,
5. Exchange of students for courses and specialized programs,
6. Exchange of publications and other materials of common interest, and
7. Donation of equipment and machineries

Internationalization Strategy

The bi-institutional partnership between AE-FUNAI and TUBAF is a very significant quantum leap in the history of internationalization and international collaboration. On one hand, AE-FUNAI was established in February 2011 by the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Good Luck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. The university commenced activities in November 2012.           The University Senate set up a Committee for the Establishment of Faculty of Engineering and Technology on 26^th March 2014 and the committee submitted her technical report (the proposal) to the University Senate on 30^th July 2014. The Faculty of Engineering and Technology had her resource verification by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Nigeria in August 2015, while the first set of engineering students were admitted in October 2015. Nevertheless, through carefully targeted strategic planning, AE-FUNAI was always determined to punch above her weight along the tripods that define world class university systems. These include excellence in: teaching and learning; research, development and dissemination; and community development and services. This assertion was amply demonstrated by the sterling performance of the University in her first appearance at the 2nd National Science Technology and Innovation (STI) 2018 Expo held at Eagle Square Abuja from 5-9 March 2018 and organized by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja Nigeria. The AE-FUNAI team came third in the Tertiary Institutes category. In 2018, the faculty developed and rolled out her strategic plan, including internationalization and research policy in line with extant best practices of World Class Universities.  

On the other hand, TUBAF is the oldest mining university in the world. It is also the oldest technical institute of higher education in the German speaking world. TU Bergakademie Freiberg has had a strong international focus since its foundation in 1765 (over 255 years). Thus unsurprisingly, TU Bergakademie Freiberg has deeply rooted robust expertise in development cooperation. As at May 2019, it had established cooperation with 239 institutions in 70 countries around the world. In the framework of the bi-institutional partnership which AE-FUNAI and TUBAF has entered, the expectation and view is that the later will strengthen the former. Both institutions are committed to the pursuit of high-quality engineering education vis-à-vis jointly identifying, designing and implementing cutting-edge state-of-the-art sustainable engineering education curriculum.   

Impact on local, regional and national development

Nigeria has interesting economic ties with Germany, being Germany’s second most important trading partner in Africa. Thus, educational cooperation between AE-FUNAI and TUBAF is a desirability. AE-FUNAI is located in Ebonyi State, one of the federating states in the country.  Ebonyi state is nationally known for her very rich natural agricultural soils. It is well endowed with agricultural products such as rice and yam amongst others. At different times, various Ebonyi State Governments have enunciated policies geared towards improving agriculture. Also AE-FUNAI host town is Ikwo, which is naturally endowed with mineral resources, like most other towns in Ebonyi State. However, the town Ikwo has huge mining activities including artisan mining with very unsustainable outcomes that generate perturbations in the ecosystem. Thus, there is need for improved mechanical engineering education through this kind of partnership between AE-FUNAI and TUBAF. It will greatly contribute to prepare the manpower and machinery for improved mining technology. This will have other multiplier effects that straddle across various facets of economic development, which will result from increased production of raw materials. The partnership will help to produce qualified engineers that are needed to address the congenital problem of unsustainable infrastructural development. It will contribute to enhance the infrastructure nexus for sustainable development.             

Progress to Date

The bi-institutional partnership between Technische Universität Bergkademie Freiberg (TUBAF) Germany and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), has made good progress. These include the following amongst others:

1. Formalizing a MoU between TU Bergakademie Freiberg Germany and AE-FUNAI, Nigeria.
2. Securing funding instrument within the framework of ERASMUS+ Mobility program, to execute academic mobility and exchanges between the two partner institutions. The duration of the mobility+ program is 4-year from 01 August 2020 to 31 July 2023.
3. The first Project (virtual) meeting with 2^nd Vice-Chancellor Prof. Chinedum Najiuba and Engr. Prof. Onuegbu Ugwu Project Coordinator, AE-FUNAI ERASMUS+ Mobility Program TU Bergakademie Freiberg Germany and German partners; Mr Chukwuemeka Onaa Project Initiator/Coordinator, and Prof. Dr. Ing. Georg Unland Project Advisor held on 15^th July 2020
4. Two mobility participants (staff) from AE-FUNAI were scheduled to visit Germany in January 2021. However, travel restrictions engendered by COVID-19 constituted an unforeseen risk to the travel arrangements. AE-FUNAI members of staff will stay for a maximum of 60 days during their visit to Freiberg while students will stay for 3 months.
5. 2^nd Project (virtual) meeting with the 3^rd Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sunday Oge Elom (represented by Prof. Denis Akoh DVC Academic), Engr. Prof. Ugwu, Miss Ejideka Chukunonso, Secretary AE-FUNAI ERASMUS+ Mobility Program Committee,  Mr Onaa and Prof. Dr. Ing Unland held on 16^th April 2021
6. Inter-institutional Agreement signed between TUBAF and AE-FUNAI on 30th April 2021
7. While in Freiberg, AE-FUNAI staff/students will;
   • Attend well-designed lectures in the field of mechanical engineering.
   • Undergo mechanical trainings at a technical institute in Freiberg.
   • Attend free German Classes offered at the University
   • Attend skills development/educational didactic cum project management courses offered at TU Bergakademie Freiberg Graduate school
   • Participate in organized industry tours

Below is a summary of the project timeline: 

Bi-institutional Partnership between TUB and AE-FUNAI: Project Timeline

Conclusion

This document gave a panoramic view of bi-institutional partnership between AE-FUNAI Nigeria and TU Bergakademie Freiberg Germany. It highlighted a made in AE-FUNAI initiative that had its origins in the effort by FET AE-FUNAI to look for practical ways to address alternative university funding through FET Parents’ Forum. Given the economic realities and the structural distortions that permeate every aspect of our educational landscape in Nigeria, it is envisaged that other public universities would learn some useful lessons from the made in AE-FUNAI proffered solution (University Parents’ Forum). Another very amazing outcome of the FET initiative is the Bi-Institutional Partnership between Technische Universität Bergkademie Freiberg (TUBAF) Germany and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI). The FET AE-FUNAI story demonstrates the need for the Nigerian University System to always encourage collaboration between Nigerian Universities and Nigerian academics/intellectuals in Diaspora. There is a dire need for purpose-driven synergetic relationship and strategic initiatives in that direction. It is very reassuring to note that while signing the Inter-institutional Agreement 2020-2023 for ERASMUS+ Mobility Program on 30^th April 2021, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sunday Oge Elom promised continuous support of the Bi-institutional Partnership between TU Bergakademie Freiberg Germany and AE-FUNAI Nigeria.  

Engr. Prof. Onuegbu O. Ugwu

Project Coordinator and Chairman AE-FUNAI ERASMUS+ Mobility Program Committee