Japanese Agency commends Nigeria's research development
The Chief Representative, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Nigeria, Mr Nagakawa Takayuki, has lauded the level of research development in Nigeria, particularly among young intellectuals dispatched from Nigeria and the partnership between Japan and Nigeria.
He stated this at the sideline of a workshop held in Abuja, on sharing research experiences for tackling infectious diseases between the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and researchers in Japan.
"The JICA's Programme, "Partnership for Building Resilience against Public Health Emergencies through Advanced Research and Education, "PREPARE ", was launched to facilitate the joint effort in African countries against global infectious disease control.
"This will strengthen the networking between infectious disease control institutions in Japan and our cooperation partners, notably in Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, as well as in DR Congo, Gabon, and in Nigeria," he said.
"Then, we, JICA, are very honoured to take part in such an initiative of the NCDC, and renew our commitment to facilitate the cooperation further with the new Director General, Dr.Ifedayo Adetifa, in terms of Human resource development.
"I believe this kind of intellectual exchange can contribute to the development of young human resources in both countries by providing the opportunities to obtain academic insights and stimulus on their respective research activities.
Furthermore, through our PREPARE students, "we can facilitate the mutual understandings and the intellectual network, which are the very aim of PREPARE programme.
"At this occasion, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for professors and members of the Nagasaki University for supporting Nigerian students, as well as for accepting this precious opportunity today."
Also speaking, Dr Chinwe Ochu, Director, Prevention, Programmes and Knowledge Management at the NCDC, said that the agency has been cooperating with partners, especially in the area of building capacity for research through PhD programmes and post-doctorate programmes.
'They've been providing scholarships for our staff especially those working on critical projects in the laboratory and molecular studies and other forms of studies that can lead to generation of knowledge to provide evidence for the work we do.
"The programme provides a platform for potential researchers, those who are interested with running a PhD programme in Japan to interact with some of our staff running their own programmes already and learn from them," she stressed.
"We appreciate this collaboration with Japan, it's a unique opportunity that guides you as a potential applicant on how to prepare your proposal in a way that it will be a winning one," she said.
