The University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) administration has officially inaugurated the Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), a state-of-the-art facility that represents an investment of over N1 billion.
Prof. Daprim Ogaji, Director of ACE-PUTOR, elaborated during the unveiling event that this centre was established to enhance both educational opportunities and research endeavours.
He acknowledged the pivotal role played by local and international organizations that contributed their resources and collaborated to bring this project to fruition.
What he said
According to him:
- “This edifice was put up to facilitate learning and research at the University of Port Harcourt. It was funded by the World Bank and, the French Development Organization and supported by the Association of African Universities and the Nigerian Universities Commission.
- “The Centre is structured in a way that it should be self-sustaining. Already, we have a sustainability plan that has been established. So, for the students of all cadres, both the rich and the not-so-rich can access our facility. It is a collaborative multi-disciplinary centre.
- “The current investment in this place goes over a billion naira. The building alone is over N600 million. And the equipment that is coming in is about N700 million. We have an investment that is almost N1.3 billion. This is a plus for the University of Port Harcourt, one of Nigeria’s high-ranking universities currently.”
- “This is the dream and vision of the University of Port Harcourt, that learning, teaching, and research would take place in a very conducive environment”.
This facility, representing an investment of over N1 billion, was inaugurated by Professor Daprim Ogaji, the Director of ACE-PUTOR.
In his remarks during the unveiling, Professor Ogaji highlighted that the centre’s primary purpose is to bolster educational opportunities and advance research initiatives.
He also expressed gratitude to both local and international organizations that played a crucial role by providing resources and collaborating to make this project a reality.
