The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is set to revitalise its collaboration with the University of Hamburg, Germany, following a visit by Prof. Dr. Dmitry Bondarev of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures.
Prof. Bondarev’s visit marks the first engagement since 2011, intended to renew the long-standing partnership that previously operated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which expired in 2020.
The key focus of the renewed collaboration will be on areas of mutual research interest central to UNIMAID’s Centre for Research and Documentation in Trans-Saharan Studies (CRDTS) mandate. These include:
Manuscript Preservation and Conservation.
The Study of Ajami Manuscripts (African languages written in Arabic script).
During a courtesy visit, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIMAID, Prof. Mohammed Laminu Mele, warmly welcomed the German scholar and expressed his delight at the renewed engagement.
Prof. Mele reaffirmed the University’s full support for re-establishing the collaboration, stating that his administration is committed to any research partnership that advances knowledge, innovation, and development.
He subsequently directed the Director of the CRDTS, Prof. Muhammad Mai Abubakar, to fast-track the process of signing a new Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. The Vice-Chancellor also expressed his appreciation to Prof. Bondarev for reconnecting with the University after a fourteen-year hiatus.
Earlier, Prof. Bondarev was received at the CRDTS by Prof. Abubakar and members of staff, where they held productive discussions on the terms of the renewed partnership. Prof. Bondarev was also taken on a guided tour of the Centre’s facilities, including the Manuscript Conservation Laboratory, Reference Library, and Lecture Hall.
