Academics from leading African universities gathered this week at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to attend the 2nd U6 International Conference, a consortium of six African universities. The conference’s theme is “Research and Innovation for sustainable development”.
During his opening address, CPUT Vice-Chancellor Dr Prins Nevhutalu said as a university that aims to be at the heart of technology and innovation in Africa, “we cannot successfully achieve that if we do not immerse ourselves in the ambitions and aspirations of Africa as a whole”.
“You all need no convincing of the potential of Africa and African Institutions – and particularly African intelligentsia, which is well represented here. It is this human capital, not just the rich deposits of Gold in Ghana or Platinum in South Africa or oil in Nigeria, or wildlife resources across the African plains, or any of the other natural resources that have made Africa the go-to continent, that will light a fire to propel this giant called Africa forward. It is this human force that has to be used for the good of Africa rather than a force of destruction that we humans have often become to ourselves and our finite environment,” Dr Nevhutalu said.
Professor Is-haq Oloyede, former Vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, said the idea of the U6 came as a result of the need for collaboration between African universities. He said when CPUT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Ilorin, they got to know about other relationships that the two have with other African universities ultimately realising that “your friend’s friend is your friend”. The Vice-Chancellors of these universities finally met to form the U6 from the bilateral relationships they had in February 2012.
Keynote speaker Professor Philip Lloyd spoke about renewable energy and sustainable development. He mentioned that society is faced with the challenge of balancing the social, economic and environmental challenges of sustainability and development. He said while energy is a source of wealth creation, the perceived costs to the environment is overstated. He said there was a gap between what science has discovered and what society stresses about. The conference covered a variety of subjects including Agriculture and Food Sciences, Environmental Issues, Technology Innovation and Energy Efficiency, and Business and Education.
Written by Ilse Fredericks
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