Recognising and celebrating outstanding performance can spur sustainable excellence in academia and drive value creation for socio-economic growth, Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka, Executive Director, Sahara Group has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the recent 54th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where inaugural awards instituted by Sahara Group were announced, Adedoyin-Adeyinka said solutions to societal challenges can be harnessed from the scholarship and creativity of young people at institutions of higher learning across Africa.
“At Sahara Group, we have over the past 26 years experienced the impact of recognising and celebrating top performance on our people and our achievements. The University of Lagos was selected as the pilot institution for implementing The Sahara Scholar Award that was established to recognize and reward outstanding performance among university students in select disciplines. One of the recipients of the award, David Oluwatomiwa Akanmu, emerged as the best graduating student with a perfect CGPA of 5.0. We are delighted at the opportunity to inspire the emergence of purposeful young Africans committed to making a difference,” she said.
In her convocation address, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, described the partnership between Sahara Group and the University of Lagos as a unique example of generational academic sustainability.
“This historic partnership is the first of its kind that involves parents of the Executive Directors of Sahara Group who taught in this university, their children who are now Executive Directors who studied at this university, and other Executive Directors within that group who also taught and studied at this university. This is indeed a generational partnership, born bred and nurtured in the University of Lagos,” she stated.
“We are excited about the partnership and express the University’s gratitude to the Sahara Group for making a difference with social impact and sustainability,” she added.
The Sahara Scholar Award (UNILAG Pilot) includes N1 million each to exceptional students in various departments and $36,000 Making A Difference (MAD) Grant for three lecturers; both categories to run for 10 years. The awards include: Dr. Folashodun Shonubi Prize for Best graduating student in Mechanical Engineering, Zaccheaus Odunsi Prize for Best graduating student in Civil Engineering, Ade Odunsi Prize for Best graduating student in Finance, Moroti Adedoyin-Adeyinka Prize for Best graduating student in Economics, Kola Adesina Prize for Best graduating student in Business Administration, Wale Ajibade Prize for Best improved student in Economics, Temitope Shonubi Prize for Best improved student in Architecture, Adegoke Adeniji Prize for Best entry level student in Library and Information Science, and Dr. John Falegan Prize for Best Graduating Student in Insurance & Actuarial Science.
Also speaking, Ejiro Gray, Director, Governance and Sustainability, said the energy conglomerate remained dedicated to nurturing talent and promoting sustainability. “We will keep empowering the next generation of leaders who will drive positive change in society and make a difference globally,” Gray said.
Bethel Obioma, Head Corporate Communications Sahara Group said “we cannot hold back our excitement about the future as all we see here are young scholars who are ready to make global impact. Sahara Group remains committed to fostering and celebrating excellence as it continues to invest in the development of young Africans.”
