The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has signed an outsourcing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) agreement with some Japanese companies to develop safety confirmation applications that will detect natural disasters.

Prof Charles Igwe, Vice-Chancellor of UNN, disclosed this to newsmen in Nsukka on Saturday after he returned from Japan where the agreement was signed.

Igwe said the agreement, which was between Appleach Corporation, Japan; UNN; Nahfconnects for Africa, and the World Inc., Japan, also included knowledge transfers and research collaborations.

He said that the agreement was signed at the Shinjuku ward, Sankaku Hiroba Event Centre of Sumitomo Corp. in Tokyo, Japan.

The Vice Chancellor, who signed on behalf of UNN described the agreement as a welcome development and “a breakthrough to robust economic relationship between the University, Africa, and Japan.”

“I urge other leading economies of the world to embrace knowledge transfer and research collaborations to revive the global economy from the ruins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a welcome development and I am happy that these collaborations and agreements are being signed between my institution and these Japanese firms during my tenure as vice-chancellor,” Igwe said.

According to the vice-chancellor, the Chief Executive Officer of Nahfconnects for Africa and the World Inc., Japan, Fintan Nnaji, had, in a remark while signing the agreement, said that the agreement would foster research and skill acquisitions.

Igwe quoted Nnaji as saying that the agreement would also foster innovation and knowledge transfer between all signatories to the agreement.

“Apart from the socio-cultural ties which the agreement will enhance, it will also provide mutually beneficial economic opportunities for Japan and Africa.

“This exercise will no doubt pave the way for African software engineers, starting with Nigeria.

”It will also create more employment and promote partnerships in education, research, innovation, skill acquisition, knowledge transfer, and human resources development to solve societal problems,” Nnaji said.

Also speaking with newsmen, Prof Emenike Ejiogu, the Director, Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED), UNN, who accompanied the UNN vice-chancellor to Japan, said that the collaborations would take the university to greater heights.

Ejiogu who is also the Dean, Faculty of Engineering said by the agreement, UNN would develop safety confirmation applications that would detect natural disasters such as earthquakes, flooding, landslide.

He added that accounting software would also be developed among other applications for the Japanese firms.

“Students, staff, and research groups in UNN will be involved in this laudable project according to the particular ICT project they will work on.

“This is a commendable achievement by Igwe’s administration as the university will earn more revenue in hard currency from the partnership, because software development fees will be paid by the Japanese firms,” he said.

He said the agreement had accorded the university the opportunity of sending students and staff to do their internship (Industrial Attachment) in Japanese companies.

Ejiogu disclosed that UNN and the Japanese firms had other partnership agreements in renewal energy production.

“This agreement will no doubt project UNN and Nigeria’s academic and technical manpower into global economic contributions in ICT, renewal energy as well as promote the culture and education of the countries involved.

“I thank UNN-VC who has provided an enabling environment for us to pursue this agreement which will not only affect the university positively, but also the Nigerian economy as well.

“I thank the companies that are involved in this agreement for seeing the need to come into this cooperation that would boost the relationship between Africa and Japan,” Ejiogu said. (NAN