Prof. Suleiman Bala-Mohammed, Vice Chancellor Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) on Friday declared that the university is the first to incorporate a climatepreneurship programme in its undergraduate curriculum for the Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Entrepreneurship programme.
He disclosed this at the 2nd NSUK United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Food Scarcity Assembly (EBAFOSA) Intersectoral Meeting for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) policy implementation held in Keffi local government area of the state on Friday.
Bala-Mohammed said aside from the incorporation of the programme which was done in partnership with UNEP, the University was also the first in Nigeria to have a United Nations (UN) EBAFOSA Centre where management of the institution engages directly with the UNEP-Africa regional office in addressing climate actions.
According to him,” Our university is also the first to have a solar dryer donated by the UNEP-Africa Regional Office and lastly we are witnessing the second policy meeting on climate Action being delivered by the UNEP-Africa Regional Director, Dr Richard Munang.
“For these and other goodwill we have enjoyed as a university, we are immensely grateful to Dr. Richard Munang and his team for considering us worthy of the gesture,” he said.
Bala-Mohammed explained that the second policy meeting aims to sensitize the public on the impacts, lessons, and opportunities that have been generated so far by the implementation of the NSUK entrepreneurship curriculum in driving the uptake of Climate Action solutions in a coherent way that guarantees the achievement of the SDGs.
EDUCATION ROADMAP learned that the meeting had in attendance several climate change stakeholders across government ministries, departments and agencies and non-government actors.
The Stakeholders at the end of the meeting issued a communique and made available to newsmen lauding the successful impact of the NSUK Climate Action and Entrepreneurship Centre in running both theoretical and practical aspects of Climate Action Entrepreneurship.
According to the stakeholders, so far the Climate Action and Entrepreneurship course included in the university curriculum has been successful in terms of training and knowledge dissemination, which is still ongoing.
“The center is also providing simple solutions like solar dryers where post-harvest losses are reduced to the barest minimum. Hygienic food is provided through this technology. The initiative also provided fuel briquettes thereby discouraging deforestation,” he said.
The Stakeholders then expressed gratitude to NSUK leadership for setting up the center to enhance the uptake of Climate Action Entrepreneurship.
The communique was signed on behalf of the stakeholders by Prof. Suleiman Bala-Mohammed, Vice Chancellor of NSUK, Dr Richard Munang, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Regional Director and Dr Iniobong Awe, Director, Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment.
