The University of Buea (UB), stated that it is currently handling the certification of graduates of the ICT University.
The timely clarification from the University of Buea, comes days after a section of the social media had published information, claiming the certificates from the ICT University were not recognised internationally.
The rumour had made the rounds after a petition reportedly issued by a group of unnamed former students of the ICT University surfaced on social media platforms.
But in a statement issued and signed by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Prof Horace Ngomo Manga, the ICT University was vindicated of the accusations.
In his statement, the Vice Chancellor wrote: “The University of Buea is pleased to inform the general public, stakeholders and the academic community that it signed a framework and specific agreements with the ICT University Yaounde, in March 2023”.
As a mentor University, the VC said the University of Buea provides academic oversight, quality assurance and institutional guidance to ensure that ICT University upholds high standards in teaching, research and student training, that meets national and international higher education standards.
The VC noted that the said mentorship reflects the University of Buea’s commitment to excellence in higher education and its role in strengthening academic institutions in Cameroon.
He then stated that the ICT University and the University of Buea are working closely to ensure a smooth and transparent implementation of the terms of the specific agreement, which includes the joint certification of the students.
“We urge all students to remain calm and patient as the certification process of those whose complete files have just been submitted is being finalized” the statement added.
Before now…
The ICT University and the University of Buea, UB, it should be recalled had in March 2023, reached a framework win-win agreement which seeks to boost learning and research in both institutions.
The convention, in the guise of a mentorship agreement, was sealed Tuesday March 14 in Buea.
The ICT University, through the partnership, said it was bringing a huge number of study opportunities to the table, which UB stands to benefit from.
The Founder and President the Board of Trustees of the ICT University, United States-based Prof Victor Mbarika, signed the agreement on behalf of his institution, while the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Prof Ngomo Horace Manga, did same for his establishment.
The framework agreement was signed in the presence of Eza Abate Jeannette, the representative of the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo.
Worthy Praise from UB VC
Speaking during the signing ceremony, UB Vice Chancellor, Prof Horace Manga, had praised ICT University for playing a leading role in training professionals in the country.
He said he was particularly impressed by the offers of ICT University, given that the state alone can’t train every Cameroonian.
Speaking further on the matter of the day, Prof Horace Manga explained that, “we are going to mentor the ICT University on the basis of the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU”.
He added that the agreement “starts with an MoU, then it culminates in a framework agreement and then a specific agreement that spells out the duties of both parties on how there will go about ensuring that all the exigencies of quality assurance are respected in the training of the students who study in the institution”.
“This is to ensure that at the end of the day, the University of Buea can convince itself that those students have received the skills that amount to the knowledge required to be awarded the certificates for which those particular programmes were created,” Prof Ngomo Manga said.
“This agreement spells out the kind of things that this institution has to respect. We have to follow up on those particular issues. In fact, from admission to the writing of exams, everything is supervised by the University of Buea. At the end of the day, we believe that we would have done what is humanly possible to ensure that the quality of education these students get from the institution match those of the University of Buea,” he concluded.
More than Just a Partnership
Taking the cue, the Vice Chancellor of the ICT University, Prof Jean-Emmanuel Pondi, thanked the University of Buea for accepting to partner with ICT University.
The renowned Professor said his institution has much to offer within the framework of the agreement.
“It is very important to have a mentor institution and I think the University of Buea is a very serious and credible institution,” Prof Pondi said, stating that: “We at the ICT University didn’t start today. We started in 2010, so we are not a new university. For this partnership, we are bringing on board many institutions which will be at the disposal of the UB community. I am talking about the faculties, the students, the researchers and so on. Among them, we can cite ICT University Microsoft Academy, ICT University Amazon Academy and also the Nano Satellite centre, which is now fully functional. On top of that, we just opened an online media centre; that is radio and television”.
“So, we are bringing all these on the table, but we also know that we are to gain a lot from UB, which is an immense university. So, I think that this collaboration is a good symbiosis. We are very happy about this agreement,” he added.
Prof Pondi then explained that “through this partnership, our diplomas and certificates will be signed by the University of Buea together with us, which was not the case before”.
Flash back
It should be noted that it was not the first time ICT University was engaging an academic partnership with a sister University.
Prior to the 2023 signing ceremony, ICT University had earlier signed strategic partnerships with leading universities in the world.
Similar partnerships had been signed with institutions including the Harvard Medical School; University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA; University of Turku, Sweden; Africa Association of Universities, AAU; Covenant University, Nigeria; Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda; Anderson University, South Carolina, USA; Avancity University, Paris amongst others.
