A two-man delegation from the French Embassy comprising the Head of Corporate and Cultural Affairs, Mr. Thierry Valentin and the Mission Attaché, Mr. Sebastian Bede on Thursday, 8th May, 2025, paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, FCVSN, in his office.
The visit was aimed at renewing existing relationship between both parties and to explore other potential avenues for collaboration, especially in the area of youth and economic development.
In his remarks, Mr. Thierry Valentin stated that the visit was strategic and very important considering the role of the NUC as the galvaniser of the Nigerian University System (NUS), stressing that academic co-operation is at the core of the Mission’s objectives. He said the future of the youth and strategic economic development had been articulated as the focus of the French Embassy in Nigeria.
He highlighted that the Mission intends to collaborate with the Commission on the delivery of some projects in the higher education system and the promotion of research and the implementation of short-term training programmes for students.
He re-affirmed the importance of higher education as a key component and driver of any nation, noting that the NUC and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) were key in the advancement of tertiary education in the country, especially in the key areas they came to discuss with the Executive Secretary.
Speaking in the same vein, the Mission Attache’, Mr. Sebastian Bede informed Professor Ribadu that the Embassy has been executing projects for more than 10 years in Nigeria, especially research sponsorships.
He said currently they have received some number of applications for grants for research with the process of selecting the applicants ongoing, while the Mission also have scholarships and short stay training for a certain number of students with a total of 1.8m Euros designated for grants to be disbursed in the next three years.
He said in the blueprint presented by the French Government, there have been selections of 10 universities in Nigeria in which five of the universities are working closely with other French universities, with the hope for them to fund the five universities to compete in the plastic recycling project.
The Mission Attache’ said the Universities will soon receive micro-plant machines for recycling plastic from the French Embassy expected to be replicated around the country, while they intend to train University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Nile University staff in running the plant designated in their locations.
He said the embassy will also be organizing an environmental week soon and that a formal invitation will be extended to the Executive Secretary and gearing up to organize and support the ocean project with a summit where top governments are billed to attend, a similar invitation would be extended to the Commission to participate.
According to him, during the environmental week, some students will be trained while the Ambassador will be hosting a meeting with the participants.
He also told the Executive Secretary that the French Embassy had renewed its interest in the teaching, learning and use of French Language in Nigerian Universities and will be having a capacity training for both lecturers and students.
He said France is looking at the possibility of developing partnership in mining as the country has built a strong presence in the field of Geology, Physics and Anthropology.
He also informed the meeting that the French Embassy has received over 2,000 applications from students in Nigeria to study in France, which is a step in the right direction.
He disclosed that France has about 1800 degree and masters programmes and that it usually cost a foreign Ph.D. student about 500 euros a year to study in the country which is subsidized by tax payers among French citizen.
He also commended Nigerian students on their excellent academic records outside of the country and encouraged them to come back after their training to contribute to the country.
He said the French Embassy has done a lot in funding of the African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project, highlighting that the Country Director has formally requested for a meeting with the NUC to present the scope of a number of collaborations which are ongoing.
Responding, the Executive Secretary, NUC, Professor Ribadu thanked them for the timely and expressed his delight on the number of programmes the Embassy was doing in the NUS, stating that academic co-operation remained an important component of his administration’s drive towards providing quality higher education.
He particularly acknowledged the impact of the French Development Agency in the advancement of the ACE Impact Project, especially on the process of International Accreditation for the various programmes run under it.
He said partnership with France has come a long way and very important to the Commission and promised to do a briefing to the Committee of Vice-Chancellors to intimate them on some of the developments raised.
He said the interest of the Embassy on Waste Management, through the designation of recycling plant in some universities was a welcome dvelopement and would be supported by the NUC.
He agreed on the need for the renewal of efforts in the area of French Language use in the country through the capacity training for staff and students of the universities.
Both parties agreed that the issue of research grants, promotion of higher education, youth and economic development were all strategic to the development of their countries.
At the meeting were the NUC Deputy Executive Secretary (DES), Administration, Mr. Chris J. Maiyaki; the Acting Directors of Research, Innovations and Information Technology (DRIIT), Mal. Mohammed Farouk Lawal; Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (DSDE), Mal.Ashafa Ladan; Open Distance and e-Learning (DODel), Dr. Funmilayo Morebise; Coordinator, Special Projects, Dr. Joshua Atah, and representatives of Directorates of the Executive Secretary’s Office (DESO), Barr. Pascal Eruaga and Public Affairs (DPA), Mr Akinola Akinlabi as well as the Head, Special Duties, Dr. Abubakar Tanko Mohammed.