Varsity Gets Approval For AI, Nursing, Cybersecurity Courses

African University of Science and Technology has secured preliminary approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence undergraduate programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Nursing and Cybersecurity.

The institution’s president, Prof Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday at the maidenl graduation  of the nursing care and care-assistant training programme organised in partnership with PUSH Africa.

Onwualu said the approval was part of ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the university to address Nigeria’s growing skills gap and workforce shortages.

He explained that AUST, founded in 2007 under the Nelson Mandela Institution as a postgraduate research-focused university, began restructuring in 2017 to expand into undergraduate studies and technical and vocational education.

“Originally, we were a postgraduate university driven by high-level research. But Nigeria’s real challenge today is skills,” he said.

He added that the imbalance between academic qualifications and practical competence necessitated the introduction of technology- and health-focused programmes.

The AUST president said the institution’s newly established innovation hub was designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry needs, noting that the university had recorded a 100 per cent employment rate among its postgraduate alumni.

He expressed optimism that the new undergraduate courses would replicate the success.

Onwualu announced plans to establish Schools of Architecture, Law and Health Sciences, adding that the School of Health Sciences was expected to commence operations by September next year.

He said the graduates of the care-assistant programme would be given opportunities to upgrade into full degree programmes in nursing.

The professor also highlighted ongoing research at the Pan-African Materials Institute, where scientists have developed nanotechnology-based systems for early cancer detection and smart drug delivery.

“These systems target only cancerous cells, sparing healthy ones, and have reached the clinical trial stage,” he said.

Commending PUSH Africa, Onwualu said the organisation had secured Canadian and American certification for the care-assistant training ahead of local approvals.

“Our vision is a global university whose certificates are accepted anywhere in the world,” he said.