The Department of Real Estate at the Faculty of Planning and Land Management (FPLM), Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) has taken the lead to host a visiting lecturer, Dr. Iruka Anugwe Chijindu from the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Durban University of Technology (DUT), South Africa, in the 2024/2025 Academic Year. Dr. Chijindu serves as the supervisor of Mr. William Appau Millar, a PhD candidate at the University of South Africa.
As part of the visit, Dr. Chijindu was led by the Management of Department of Real Estates to pay a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile. However, Professor Issaka Kanton Osumanu, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, welcomed Dr. Chijindu and expressed enthusiasm for the visit. Professor Kanton highlighted the potentials of the SDD-UBIDS and the interest in fostering collaboration between the two (SDD-UBIDS and DUT).
Professor Kanton, also mentioned ongoing efforts to transition the Department of Real Estate and other related departments into a school, which could be mutually beneficial for both institutions. He encouraged discussions on incorporating this into a collaboration plan.
During the meeting, Dr. Chijindu spoke about the rich experience and development of his university’s departments and stressed the importance of collaboration to produce highly skilled professionals and technocrats. He announced his scheduled presentations from 5th to 7th February, 2025, on the benefits of collaboration and scholarship opportunities. He encouraged more enrollment from SDD-UBIDS into their programmes to take advantage of these opportunities, including scholarships. He further suggested the formalisation of the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Dr. Chijindu commended Mr. Appau for his exemplary performance and work ethic, describing it as a strong motivation to establish further collaboration. He assured Management that DUT would welcome more brilliant PhD candidates from SDD-UBIDS.
Professor Millicent Akaateba, Director of the International Relations at SDD-UBIDS, reiterated the availability of numerous scholarship opportunities. She disclosed that a generic MoU was in the final stages of preparation and suggested that staff of School of Education and Life-Long Learning should take advantage of these scholarships for staff capacity building. She assured Dr. Chijindu that SDD-UBIDS would not disappoint in this collaboration.
Dr. Chijindu mentioned specific areas of collaboration, including:
- Climate change research
- Developing a Faculty of Engineering to address local and global challenges
- Co-supervision of PhD students
- Exchange programs for staff and students
He also emphasised the potential for the two institutions to collaborate on these focal areas to address common challenges and enhance academic growth.
In conclusion, Professor Kanton recapped the benefits of the visit and collaboration, highlighting the mutual benefits between SDD-UBIDS, Ghana and DUT of South Africa. Dr. Chijindu expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and promised to work towards deepening the relationship between the two institutions.