Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, has received an award from the University of Offa in Nigeria in recognition of his traditional chieftaincy title in the Offa Kingdom.
The award was received on his behalf by the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, who represented him at the university’s maiden graduation ceremony held on Monday, October 12, 2026.
Dr Debrah arrived in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, where he was welcomed by the state’s Executive Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Following the ceremony, the Chief of Staff held bilateral discussions with Governor Abdulrazaq as part of his official engagements in the state.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the two leaders to exchange views on matters of mutual interest and explore avenues for deepening cooperation and strengthening the longstanding relations between Ghana and Nigeria.
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The University of Offa graduated 140 students at its maiden convocation ceremony, with eight earning first-class degrees.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade, disclosed this ahead of the ceremony, explaining that 54 graduates obtained Second Class Upper degrees, 76 earned Second Class Lower degrees, while two graduated with Third Class Honours.
The institution, located in Offa in Kwara State, was licensed in 2021 and commenced academic activities in 2022 with two faculties and 10 programmes.
Professor Gbolagade said the university had since expanded to four faculties and 17 academic programmes, comprising Science and Computing; Management and Social Sciences; Education; and Health Sciences.
He said the university planned to introduce Law, Theatre Arts and Public Health programmes as part of its next phase of academic expansion.
On student enrolment, the Vice-Chancellor said the university’s population had grown from 81 students in the 2022/2023 academic session to 640 newly admitted students in the 2026/2027 session.
He added that more than 1,000 prospective students had applied for admission in the current academic year, although the admission process was still ongoing.
“Our quota for this year is 1,166, and once we fill up our quota, 2026/2027 admission will close,” he said.
Professor Gbolagade attributed the growth to the university’s commitment to academic excellence, strict adherence to its academic calendar, and emphasis on information technology and entrepreneurship.
The Vice-Chancellor said the institution engaged visiting lecturers and partnered with universities and other institutions in Nigeria and abroad to provide students with practical and international learning experiences.
He disclosed that the university had signed memoranda of understanding with Highstone International University in the United States and INTI International University in Malaysia to promote staff and student exchanges, research collaboration, grant acquisition and resource sharing.
He added that a partnership with New Horizon was providing practical information technology training for students across all disciplines.
The programme is expected to enable students to obtain additional professional certifications alongside their degree certificates.
On research, Professor Gbolagade said some academics had secured research grants and international opportunities, reflecting the institution’s efforts to strengthen its research capacity.
He noted that the University of Offa Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies was launched in March 2026, with its first volume, containing 19 articles, published in June.
The Vice-Chancellor also disclosed that the university was helping students register their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and planned to introduce start-up grants for graduates in the future.
He said the initiative was intended to equip graduates with the skills and resources to become job creators rather than job seekers.
Professor Gbolagade further disclosed that the university’s Doctor of Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory Science and Community Health Science programmes recorded 100 percent success during a National Universities Commission (NUC) resource verification exercise conducted in April 2026.
He said the achievement reflected the institution’s efforts to strengthen its academic programmes and meet regulatory requirements.
Despite the progress, the Vice-Chancellor identified inadequate infrastructure as one of the major challenges facing the young institution.
He appealed for support to develop additional on-campus accommodation, a modern Senate building, a Faculty of Health Sciences building, a Faculty of Law building, a 1,000-capacity lecture theatre, a modern mosque, a library complex, a sports complex and a computer-based testing (CBT) centre.
He expressed appreciation to the university’s founder, Dr Abdulrasaq Oyewale, for his vision and continued support in developing the institution.
As part of efforts to improve staff welfare, Professor Gbolagade announced a 50 percent salary increase for employees, effective October 1, 2026.
He said the university would continue to strengthen its relationship with the media and other stakeholders as it pursued its vision of becoming a leading institution of higher learning.
Activities marking the convocation week included counselling and job training for graduates, an intra-university sports competition, special Jumu’ah prayers, a convocation prayer, the launch of a N3 billion university project, a dinner and an awards night.
