Etisalat boost ABU Zaria with MSc in Telecoms Engineering

L-R: Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha;

Kaduna State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero,

and Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans at the launch

of the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme (ETEP), Nigeria’s

first MSc course in telecommunications engineering at the Ahmadu Bello

University, Zaria on Thursday, May 16

Telecommunications company, Etisalat Nigeria has given a boost to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, by bankrolling the launch of the first Masters course in Telecommunications Engineering in the university.

The course to be known as Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme (ETEP), according to the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans, who confirmed this to ITRealms is a corporate social responsibility initiative of Etisalat Nigeria in partnership with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Etisalat Academy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Plymouth University in the UK and Huawei.

He explained that the programme was established at the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of ABU, one of five approved universities in Nigeria accredited to offer telecommunications engineering, but previously only at undergraduate level, with input from the National Office for Technology Acquisition & Promotion (NOTAP) as part of its oversight functions.

Also, Evans said the programme would annually empower 15 to 20 engineering graduates with capacity and expertise in excellently running Nigeria’s telecommunications sector. These post graduates, he said, would serve as possible manpower for Etisalat, Huawei and other such companies in the telecommunications industry.

L-R: Country Manager, Huawei, Mr. Jimmy Pang; Chief Executive Officer,

Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans, and the Chief Technology Officer,

Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Gilles Kuntz at the ETEP launch

Chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, said the MSc. course is aimed at contributing to local manpower with regards to telecommunications technology skills. “Telecommunications Engineers are involved in the planning, design, commissioning and monitoring of complex telecommunications networks, wireless systems, broadcasting systems and future broadband networks. We are delighted to champion this first of its kind project in order to promote the telecommunications industry which has been dubbed as the backbone of the new economy and plays a central role in facilitating reliable and fast information exchange,” he said.

ITRealms gathers that in attendance at the launch include the Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, who represented the Vice President, Namadi Sambo; Vice Chancellor of ABU, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, top academic staff of the university, representatives from the Zazzau Emirate Councils, Directors and Board Members of Etisalat Nigeria, to name a few.

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