The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Professor Christopher Nyong Ekong, on Friday, September 11, 2026, hosted Vice-Chancellors and representatives of federal universities across the South-South region at a strategic forum aimed at strengthening collaboration between the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) and universities in the region.
The engagement, held at the Council Chambers of the University of Uyo, Main Campus, brought together university leaders, members of the SSDC management team and other stakeholders to explore how universities could contribute more effectively to regional development through research, innovation, training, human-capital development and community-oriented initiatives.
Welcoming participants to the forum, Professor Ekong emphasised the need for universities in the South-South to strengthen their collective engagement with government and development institutions.
He noted that universities were not merely centres for teaching and learning but also important sources of knowledge, research and innovative ideas capable of providing practical solutions to societal challenges.
The Vice-Chancellor called for greater investment in research and human-capital development, particularly programmes that would equip academics, researchers and young people with relevant skills to contribute meaningfully to the development of the region.
Professor Ekong also advocated stronger support for centres of excellence and research initiatives focused on challenges peculiar to the South-South. He stressed the importance of scholarships, training and other educational investments that would empower beneficiaries and encourage them to return to their communities with the knowledge and expertise required to drive development.
In her remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SSDC, Ms Usoro Akpabio, described the engagement as the beginning of a more structured relationship between the Commission and the university community.
Ms Akpabio identified universities as strategic partners in the search for solutions to the challenges confronting the South-South region, stressing that their expertise should be integrated into the Commission’s development efforts.
According to her, universities should be “among the first places we look for solutions, not the last places we have to visit for consultation.”
She noted that the South-South was endowed with enormous human and material resources, while its universities possessed the knowledge and expertise required to transform those resources into opportunities for sustainable development.
The SSDC chief executive also highlighted the potential of young people in the region, noting that their energy, ideas and ambition could be harnessed through appropriate training, innovation and enterprise-development programmes.
She therefore called for closer collaboration between the Commission and universities in areas such as innovation, enterprise development, skills acquisition, research and human-capital development.
A major component of the forum was a strategic conversation on “Universities as Partners in Regional Development,” led by Professor Ekong. The session provided participating university leaders with an opportunity to present their institutions’ areas of strength, research capacities, expertise, facilities and innovations that could support the SSDC’s development agenda.
The participating institutions included the University of Uyo, represented by Professor Christopher N. Ekong; the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Obio Akpa, Akwa Ibom State, represented by Professor Joseph Essien; the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, represented by Professor Leo Daniel; and the University of Calabar, whose Vice-Chancellor, Professor Offiong Efangha Offiong, was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Ekaette Enang, and the Director of Physical Planning, Arch. James Ikpi.
Others were the University of Benin, whose Vice-Chancellor, Professor Edoba Omoregie, SAN, was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Professor Christopher Osubor; the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, represented by Professor Ezekiel Agbalagba; and the Federal University, Otuoke, represented by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Promise Mebine.
The SSDC delegation comprised the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ms Usoro Akpabio; Executive Director, Social Services and Human Capital Development, Engr. Preye Aganaba; Executive Director, Commercial and Environmental Development, Hon. Joseph Ugheoke; Akwa Ibom State representative on the SSDC Board, Dr. Nkereuwem Ebong; and the South-West representative on the Board, Dr. Bukola Braimoh.
The forum also provided an opportunity for the university leaders to exchange perspectives on higher education, research, innovation, scholarships, skills development and community development, with participants acknowledging the potential of stronger institutional partnerships to address some of the region’s developmental challenges.
The engagement was followed by a tour of the University of Uyo Permanent Site, where the SSDC delegation inspected some of the institution’s facilities and development projects.
The meeting ended with a renewed commitment to building a practical and sustainable relationship between the SSDC and universities across the South-South region.
The engagement underscored the importance of bringing government, universities and young people together to harness the region’s knowledge, resources and human potential and convert them into practical solutions for sustainable regional development.
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