The Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) on September 6, 2025, organised a comprehensive orientation for its newly admitted postgraduate distance and weekend students. The programme, hosted at the Wa campus and streamed live via Zoom, officially welcomed over 1,200 students from centres across the country. The exercise marked another milestone in the University’s commitment to widening access to higher education through innovative and flexible learning modes.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile, congratulated the students on their admission and urged them to be proud ambassadors of UBIDS. He recounted the University’s transformation from its beginnings as a campus into a fully-fledged autonomous University, noting that while infrastructural expansion is still underway, the University remains firmly committed to academic excellence. Professor Derbile assured the students of access to highly qualified faculty and encouraged them to embrace both research and practice-oriented learning as pathways to achieving their academic and professional aspirations. He further emphasised that UBIDS’ distance education programmes are aligned with national policy, market-driven, and deliberately designed to create opportunities for working professionals and others who may be unable to pursue traditional, regular programmes.
The Director of the Institute of Distance Education and Learning (IDEL), Professor Samuel Z. Bonye, welcomed the students to the University and highlighted the Institute’s role in coordinating distance and weekend programmes across the country. He explained that IDEL adopts a blended learning model that combines face-to-face and online delivery, ensuring flexible access to education without compromising quality. He further assured students of the necessary academic support services to facilitate their studies.
Other speakers included the Dr. Joseph S.K. Bagah, Director of Academic Affairs, who urged students to complete their registration processes and maintain accurate academic records, and Mr. Konlan Banleman, the Acting University Librarian, who also introduced students to the University’s extensive digital and physical library resources. Students were also taken through detailed orientation sessions at the faculties and schools’ level, covering academic regulations, digital learning platforms, and available support services.
The orientation provided students with the knowledge, guidance, and resources required to begin their postgraduate journey with confidence. It also reaffirmed the University’s commitment to delivering quality, flexible, and accessible higher education to support the professional and academic aspirations of its diverse student body.
Deans, Directors and coordinators were also present to grace the occasion.
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| Mr Konlan Banleman
Ag. University Librarian |
Dr. Joseph S.K. Bagah
Director of Academic Affairs |