Education

Digital Information: ARLS Calls for Increased Funding Of Educational Libraries In Nigeria

Published

5 years ago

October 1, 2021

By joel Ajayi

The Academic and Research Libraries Section, ARLS has called for increased funding of educational libraries to improve work efficiency and enhance productivity in higher institutions.

ARLS Chairman, Dr Ifeanyi Ezema made the call at the 7th annual conference of the association held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Enugu State.

Dr Ezema who stated this during his welcome address to the members on Wednesday at their three-day annual national conference, said the need for increased funding of educational libraries at tertiary level by governments, heads of higher institutions and heads of academic and research institutions, has become imperative in view of the obvious realities and challenges the sector is facing in moulding future Leaders and greater Nigerians.

“The theme of the Conference ‘Academic and Research Libraries in Digital Information Environment’ was dopted based on the numerous challenges facing academic libraries in the current digital environment particularly developing economy.

“These challenges are becoming increasingly complex with the present Covid-19 pandemic.
Being at the center of academic activities in our higher institutions, academic libraries must congregate to chart better easy of mitigating these challenges.

“Funding of academic libraries in the pre-covid-19 global pandemic had been very precarious and has now been complicated with the current economic downturn.

“The digital environment has succeeded in shrinking the world into a global village and breaking the barriers of space and time. The new technology will be highly impactful in handling the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic as the new normal does not support large crowd.

“This however, requires serious commitments from the government, heads of higher institutions and heads of academic and research libraries. The days of paying lip service to funding of libraries must come to an end so that our country would have viable academic and research libraries that are capable of rendering services in line with best practices globally,” Dr Ezema who is also the Chief Librarian, Enugu State University of Sicence and Technology, ESUT said.

Earlier in his opening speech, the Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Charles Arinzechukwu Igwe who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administratiom, Prof. Johnson Urama, thanked the ARLS for giving the university the privilege to host the annual conference stressing that the role.of the library on academic institutions cannot be ignored.

“On behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Arinzechukwu Igwe, I welcome you to the first indigenous University in the country, University of Nigeria for your 7th national annual conference. We thank your leaders for giving us the responsibility to host you.

“Libraries in institutions – University, colleges of education, Polytechnic or research institutes – is the heart of such institutions. Without libraries, I wonder what they would be. Therefore, library plays a very vital role in institutions of higher learning and we are delighted that a meeting like this will come up with ideas, suggestions that will continue to reposition the library and move our institutions forward.

“The height any institution can attain depends to a very large extent, on what their library can provide. You cannot talk about research or any serious academic activity without reference to the library,” he said.

Making his keynote address, the guest speaker,
Ven. Prof. Obiora Nwosu, Acting Vice Chancellor, Paul University, Awka Anambra State; while disclosing that no library in the country has gone fully digital, advised that for libraries and librarians to remain relevant and still to be seen as indispensable, the academic and research libraries must go full digital.

This he said will be achieved if government and heads of institutions fund the full development and see to the efficient and effective management of digital libraries.

“No single known library in Nigeria has gone fully digital. Many libraries in Nigeria have tried to go full digital but none has actually been there. At best the libraries run hybrid libraries. They are, therefore, faced with the challenges of managing both the physical and digital information environments of the libraries.

“Libraries and Librarians to remain relevant and still to be seen as indispensable, the academic and research libraries must go full digital. World over, operations and services have gone digital. Academic Libraries should key into the full digital information environment and align themselves with the international digital information services delivery best practices.

“Universities have no option than to fund the full development and see to the efficient and effective management of digital libraries. Adequate infrastructure and facilities should be provided. Building digital resources is now a common place in the universities,” he said.

The three-day conference which took off on September 28 and drew participants from various higher institutions across the country was rounded off on 30.

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Education

Igbinedion University, EduTech Global Partner On Digital Education, Access

Mr. Femi Shonubi, Co-Founder/CTO – EduTech Global

Published

2 months ago

August 18, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Igbinedion University, Okada, one of Nigeria’s leading private universities, has entered into a strategic partnership with EduTech Global to accelerate its digital learning ambitions, expand access to its academic programmes to students in the country.

Through the partnership, EduTech will provide digital learning infrastructure and technology support for the University’s Distance Learning Centre (DLC), thereby enabling learners to access quality university education beyond the conventional campus environment.

The partnership reflects Igbinedion University’s ambition to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape by combining its academic heritage with technology, innovation and new models of learning that contribute to national workforce development.

Speaking on the partnership, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the collaboration represented a significant step in the university’s ambition to produce graduates equipped for national and global impact.

He said: “At Igbinedion University, our mandate has always been to lead in producing graduates equipped for national and global impact. This partnership with EduTech Global represents a bold step into the future of higher education in Nigeria.
“By expanding our digital learning infrastructure, we are not just breaking down geographical barriers; we are actively contributing to national workforce development by ensuring that quality, industry-aligned education is accessible to every driven learner, regardless of location.”

In his remarks, Director, Igbinedion University Distance Learning Centre, Prof. Gideon Bawa, said the university was motivated by the opportunity to transform its existing processes, which hitherto were being handled manually, and build a more efficient and scalable distance learning model.

The Director clarified: “The growth recorded by institutions that have leveraged EduTech’s technology and expertise was a major factor in our decision to engage the company. We are confident that this partnership will position Igbinedion University to achieve significant growth in enrolment while strengthening the quality and efficiency of our Distance Learning Centre.”

“With this partnership, we expect to move most of our administrative and academic activities online through EduTech. This will improve efficiency, enhance the learner experience and allow our facilitators and students to engage more effectively through a connected digital learning environment”, Bawa added.

Commenting on the collaboration, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, EduTech Global, Femi Shonubi, pointed out that technology had been redefining the boundaries of what a university can offer, adding that EduTech’s role extends beyond putting courses online.

Shonubi expatiated: “Technology’s true value lies in its ability to drive tangible socio-economic impact through education. By dismantling physical boundaries, we are empowering institutions like Igbinedion University to democratise access to high-quality learning. This is about more than online courses; it is about developing a resilient, highly skilled workforce at scale to meet the demands of the modern economy.

“We are helping institutions build connected learning ecosystems that support the student journey from application and enrolment through learning, assessment and graduation. Igbinedion University’s ambition to lead in innovative education aligns strongly with what we are building at EduTech.”

General Manager, Edutech Global, Moyosore Asubiojo said the partnership arises as demand grows for flexible higher education among working professionals, entrepreneurs and learners seeking alternatives to traditional full-time campus education.

She asserted that by combining Igbinedion University’s academic competence with EduTech’s technology capabilities, the collaboration will create new pathways to quality education and workforce development while enabling the University to expand beyond its traditional geographical footprint.

Analysts believe that the partnership between the university and the tech company represents a shared commitment to making higher education more accessible, flexible and scalable, while positioning the university to compete and lead in the next generation of technology-enabled education in Nigeria and globally.

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