ASR Africa awards UNIBEN N1bn tertiary education grant
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The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), a philanthropic organisation founded by Abdul Samad Rabiu, executive chairman, BUA Group, has awarded a N1 billion infrastructure grant to the University of Benin (UNIBEN) as part of its 2021 Tertiary Education Grants Scheme. This was revealed at the grant presentation by the management of ASR Africa to the vice-chancellor and council members of the University of Benin.
Ubon Udoh, managing director, ASR Africa, speaking on behalf of BUA chairman, commended the university administration for its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in tertiary education. He explained that the University of Benin was selected for the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant using a variety of metrics, including ranking, student population, gender inclusiveness, among other criteria.
Udoh expressed the organisation’s satisfaction with the level of commitment shown by the management of University of Benin in identifying viable projects for implementation under the grant. He added that the identified projects would be reviewed within the ASR Africa project assessment and mutual accountability frameworks before commencing project implementation.
Lilian Salami, UNIBEN vice chancellor, thanked ASR Africa for the grant, noting that it will enable the institution to meet pressing development needs which will positively impact the quality of education being delivered at the university.
Salami further disclosed that the institution was looking to develop a University of Benin/ASR Africa ICT Centre with the grant. According to her, the projects selected by the school administration will have an impact on the students not just for now but even for posterity.
With the grant award, UNIBEN officially became the fifth Nigerian university to receive a grant award of N1 billion from the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grants Scheme, drawn from its yearly $100 million ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal. Previous 2021 grant awardees include the University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, University of Ibadan, and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.