From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
The Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Business School has announced the commencement of new programmes to boost the gains recorded from the existing ones in the school.
Director of the school, Prof. Emma Okoye, said the programmes covered various academic fields relevant to today’s business and societal needs.
This is even as he called on the Anambra State Government to partner with the school in training its political appointees, apprentices, traders and others in the state to enhance their productive capacity.
Okoye disclosed that the new programmes were rigorously defended at the curriculum committee of the College of Postgraduate Studies before they were approved.
The programmes, according to him, are: PhD Accountancy, PhD Applied Economics, PhD Banking and Finance (option in Banking or Finance), PhD Business Administration and Management, PhD Communication Management, and PhD Cooperative Economics and Management.
Others are: PhD Entrepreneurship and Innovation, PhD Forensic Accounting, PhD Governance and Legislative Studies, PhD Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management, PhD Marketing, PhD Public Administration, PhD Risk Management, PhD Security Studies and Conflict Resolution, as well as master’s degrees in the same courses.
He said that the business school places premium on exchange programmes stressing that it has helped it to measure up with similar schools around the world.
“Apart from the exchange programme, we have started improving our trade in the area of our primary mandate, namely: improving and developing human infrastructure.
“It is our belief that, with the commencement of the new programmes, UBS will double in students size and would have made us set sail as the flagship of business schools in Nigeria and the world over.
“In a bid to deliver on world-class learning experience for short-term certificate programmes, we have entered into collaboration with the Centre for Regional and International Development (CRID), based in both Canada and the United Kingdom, in April of 2022, while, in August of 2022, we forged a collaboration with the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture for certificate programmes in seven different areas.
“These include Family and Owner Business Management, Cooperative and Agri-business Management, Business Leadership Management, Business Language and Management (Mandarin or French options), Security Studies and Conflict Resolution Management, Hospitality Management and International Business Management.
“The most profound is the business language with options in either Mandarin (Chinese language) or French. This programme is gradually picking up. It is worthy of mention that, in addition to being incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission, UBS joined and has become a corporate member of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce,” Okoye said.
Also, the UBS deputy director, Dr. Chinedu Onyeizugbe, disclosed that the business school graduated 33 doctoral students recently. He said that achievement was barely a few years after the school commenced operations.
Onyeizugbe commended the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof. Charles Esimone, for his support to the school, noting that UBS was developing a Learning Management System (LMS) to facilitate teaching and learning for remote participants from any part of the world.
This, he said, would “boost the interface with our students participating from the United States and the United Kingdom.”