UKZN, YABATECH Launch Online Postgraduate Doctoral Programmes for African Scholars

Funmi Ogundare 

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa, has expressed its readiness to sign an agreement with Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) to launch postgraduate doctoral programmes.

This was revealed during a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange between the two institutions, as a team from UKZN, led by Prof. Vivian Ojong, Dean and Head of the School of Social Sciences, visited the college.

According to Ojong, the agreement is designed to foster collaboration between UKZN’s College of Humanities and YABATECH, facilitating direct contact and cooperation between faculty research and administrative staff, with an emphasis on online training.

She explained that UKZN will offer doctoral programmes, which will enable YABATECH staff to pursue PhDs with a full waiver of fees, at no cost to the students or the college.

“All students will be registered as UKZN students, subject to its regulations and entitled to most privileges, except for financial aid,” she stated, adding that the courses, supervision, research and professional development workshops will be conducted online. 

She stated that the partnership reflects UKZN’s commitment to advancing African scholarship and providing opportunities for Africans to engage in research and academic excellence.

The dean emphasized that the initiative aims to address the academic challenges in many African countries, focusing on retaining trained professionals within the continent.

“We want to empower staff and ensure they contribute to local development once trained,” she noted.

The goal is to ensure that YABATECH staff enrolled in the UKZN programme, remain in Nigeria for the entire duration of their studies. 

Ojong added that qualified YABATECH academic staff will be appointed as honorary or adjunct faculty to assist with research efforts.

The Rector of YABATECH, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, thanked the university for the partnership, stating that the college is eager to collaborate and support the programme. He also acknowledged the challenges of studying abroad, particularly the emotional strain of being away from loved ones, and praised UKZN for its thoughtful approach.

“This is a forward-thinking initiative and I commend you for bringing this up,” he said.

He welcomed the initiative, saying that YABATECH is ready to formalise the agreement to launch the programme. He also suggested that the collaboration be expanded to include science and technology fields.