In the face of a declining number of international students on campus, an Ohio University department has launched a strategy to improve relations between OU and the international community.
OU's African Studies department will send six individuals to Nigeria to hold a workshop meant to stimulate OU's relationship with universities and local communities in northern Nigeria, said Director of African Studies Steve Howard.
The workshop, titled New Directions in Research Methodologies for Development
takes place Aug. 23-26. The workshop, also intended to improve research capacity in the region, will target graduate students, university junior staff and non-governmental organization staff.
Nigeria is the world's most populous black nation, but it has been cut off from OU after years of military rule, Howard said. In the field of academia, northern Nigeria has been the most alienated part, which is why the department picked the region.
After sharing techniques on participatory research with the area's university community, the workshop will move to villages, where techniques from the workshop will be put to use, Howard said.
We intend to develop ties with universities in northern Nigeria refresh research skills and develop collaborative research between OU and the region Howard said.
OU will gain from exposing its researchers to field experiences, attracting students from the area and improving its relations with Muslims, he said.
Abba Ali Ahmed, a Nigerian graduate student in the School of Telecommunications, said the workshop will be very important to a region where people have not paid enough attention to research.
Words cannot explain what I feel as I go back home to share what I have learnt at OU
he said.
With this exchange we shall enable Nigerians to come here
exchange their ideas with the international community and start doing things in a different way.
For Youssouf Diallo, also a grad student in the School of Telecommunications, this will be an opportunity for OU to link with and learn from communities in Africa. We shall go to the people as equals -not as their superiors -listen to them and create linkages
Diallo said.
The six OU facilitators at the workshop will be Ahmed, Diallo, Steve Howard, African Studies; Matthew Adeyanju, School of Health Sciences; Dauda Abubakar, Political Science; and Kwaku Owusu-Kwarteng, Institute for the African Child.
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Ernest Waititu
