ABU, TGI sign MoU on research, data development

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tropical General Investments Group (TGI) in the area of research and data development.

Signing the MoU, the managing director, ABUCONS, Dr Umar Faruq Yaya, who stood for the university, said the move was initiated by TGI in collaboration with the Department of Local Government Studies of the institute.

Yaya noted that research funding advanced the frontier of knowledge and helped to standardise the policy formulation of a country.

Earlier, Habiba Suleiman, the head of Strategic Partnership of the TGI said the aim of the collaboration was to help produce quality data through academic research that could be used to improve business and national development.

She noted that as a multinational venture with diverse and value chain requirements, TGI needed to work in tandem with research institutions to achieve the desired goal.

“As you know, data and information are everything now. And there is a dearth of research; therefore, if we want to move our business and investments forward, we certainly need quality data and research.

“So if we want informed decision and operation, it became imperative to have quality data. That’s what informed our decision to engage the academic and research institutions to see how we can benefit from the files of research that are just lying in the shelves to feed them into industries and workforce for better productive results,” she said.

Suleiman noted that there is high unemployment rate in the country; hence the firm chose cotton production as first area of collaboration with the university.

She said the TGI would utilise the data to inject more output in production and provide job opportunities.

The head of Strategic Partnership announced a grant of N2.5 million in the area of cotton production for the university.

While lauding the collaboration, the ABU vice chancellor, Prof Kabir Bala, said the only way to harness the potential of quality research work was through partnership funding from business institutions as government could no longer afford the financial commitment involved in such work.

Prof. Bala expressed readiness to engage the company for partnership in other areas of need.