Dr Omano Edigheji appointed Visiting Professor of Practice by the University of Johannesburg

Dr. Omano Edigheji, author of the book NIGERIA: DEMOCRACY WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT: HOW TO FIX IT, has expressed excitement following his appointment by the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, as a Visiting Associate Professor of Practice — Global Excellence & Stature (GES) in the Humanities. He joins Professor Wole Soyinka and Professor Adebayor Olukoshi who have both been previously appointed under the initiative.

According to the appointment letter, the Special Adviser on Research and Special Programmes to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is expected to provide effective, practice-oriented strategic direction and advise on cutting-edge transdisciplinary research and innovation activities/programmes, involving multiple academic departments and aligned to the fourth industrial revolution.

Dr. Edigheji, a political economist, is an established scholar and development practitioner, who has lectured at the University of Witwatersrand, and the Nelson Mandela University, both in South Africa. He has published extensively, including three edited books, and made over 100 presentations at local and international conferences attended by scholars and top government officials.

Dr. Omano is expected to improve research excellence and groom a generation of academics, contribute to expanding the university’s global footprint and spend at least 90 days annually in South Africa discharging his duties throughout the five-year duration of the appointment.

The Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Initiative:

Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Initiative was launched in 2014 as an integral and structured approach to catalyse institution-wide change for enhanced effectiveness and efficiency across the University’s missions and administration support functions.

The University of Johannesburg has approved a prestigious program of lifting the University towards Global Excellence and Stature. Core to this initiative is the strengthening of their research capabilities and thus increasing research output, impact, and citation. Through the GES initiative, the University of Johannesburg seeks to appoint distinguished academics in various categories to generate research and nurture the next generation of academics.

These top professors will help establish strategic networks for improved research excellence while contributing to expanding the global footprint of UJ. The University has appointed Distinguished Professors, Distinguished Visiting Professors, Professors of Practice, Visiting Associate Professors, Visiting Professors, and Senior Research Associate, all distinguished academics of international standing who enjoy international recognition as outstanding leaders in their respective fields.

To qualify for this appointment, candidates must have the following minimum requirements:

• A doctoral degree or equivalent qualification
• Be appointed at the level of a full Professor benchmarked internationally
• Be an outstanding and innovative researcher whose accomplishments have made a major impact in their field
• Be recognized internationally as an undisputed leader in their field and/or have received substantial international recognition for her/his research contributions (citations and impact of their research)
• A superior record in attracting and supervising postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, taking into account the practices of the field

About the University of Johannesburg (UJ)

• It was established on the 1st of January, 2005
• It was established following the merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and the Soweto and East Rand campuses of Vista University
• It is one of the largest comprehensive contact universities in South Africa from the 26 public universities that make up the higher education system
• It currently ranks as the 2nd best University in Africa and 412th in the world
• It has a student population of over 50,000 from 80 countries of which more than 3000 are international students from
• It shares the pace and energy of cosmopolitan Johannesburg, the city whose name it carries.