A delegation from Bayero University, Kano (BUK), joined regional counterparts on Monday at Dan Dicko Dankoulodo University, Maradi (UDDM), Niger Republic, for the ‘Wearing of the Gown’ ceremony supervised by the Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l’Enseignement Supérieur (CAMES).
The high-profile event marked the induction of 29 academics into higher academic ranks, including six professors and 23 associate professors, in a milestone described as a boost to Niger’s academic community.
The BUK delegation was led by Professor Muhammad Auwal Hussaini, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, who represented Vice-Chancellor Professor Haruna Musa. He was accompanied by Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed, Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA).
Delivering BUK’s goodwill message, Prof. Hussaini congratulated UDDM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elhadji Mahamadou Gounga, and praised the university’s steady progress. He reaffirmed BUK’s commitment to deepening collaboration in research, faculty development, and student exchange programmes across the sub-region.
Prof. Gaya emphasized the impact of CDA’s past interventions, including training 25 UDDM academic staff in statistical computing with the R Package, and providing fisheries training that improved local egg hatching, fingerling production, and feed formulation businesses. He noted that such efforts were helping to strengthen food security and job creation in dryland communities of both Nigeria and Niger.
The Nigerien Minister of Education, Research, and Innovation, Professor Mamadou Saidou, alongside UDDM Vice-Chancellor Prof. Gounga, commended the BUK delegation for their show of academic solidarity.
In a symbolic highlight, Professors Hussaini and Gaya participated in robing some of the newly inducted professors, underscoring BUK’s role as a regional academic partner.
The ceremony also brought together alumni of Nigerian universities now working in Niger, as well as delegations from Federal University Dutsin-Ma and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, further strengthening cross-border academic ties.
