Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has reiterated commitment to strengthening its corporate mandate of teaching, research, and community service.
The institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Odunayo Adebooye, disclosed this during the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Sustainable Development Dialogue.
The event was jointly organised by the Global Affairs and Sustainability Development Institute (GASDI), UNIOSUN, the African Network of Environmental Humanities (ANEH), and the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC) in Munich, Germany,
The VC, who was represented by his Deputy, Prof. Anthony Kola-Olusanya, expressed the university’s commitment to implementing any recommendations that would improve its pursuit of these goals.
He emphasised the university’s willingness to collaborate on initiatives aimed at addressing global and local challenges. He urged scholars to contribute solutions to the growing concerns regarding disruptions to the human and natural ecosystems, particularly within the African continent.
“The concerted efforts of scholars worldwide have identified various critical issues that have generated substantial knowledge and scholarly interest,” stated the VC.
“UNIOSUN is prepared to adopt recommendations that will advance our corporate mandate of teaching, research, and community service. We are also open to collaborative efforts that seek to provide solutions to global and local challenges,” he added.
He further highlighted the significance of addressing issues such as pollution, global warming, overpopulation, ocean acidification, deforestation, and ozone layer depletion.
During the event, the Director of GASDI expressed regret that despite its abundant natural and human resources, Africa continues to face environmental transformation and climate change challenges.
He emphasized the need for the continent to harness available knowledge and leverage its political will and diplomatic skills to tackle these issues.