By Izunna Okafor, Awka

The authorities of Unizik Business School have disclosed that it has commenced new programmes in the school to consolidate the already existing programmes.

The UBS director, Prof. Emma Okoye, who disclosed this to newsmen in Awka during a press conference on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, also called on the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo to partner with the school in training apprenticeship, political appointees, as well as traders in the state.

According to the director, among the new programmes which were rigorously defended at the curriculum committee of the College of Postgraduate Studies are: PhD Accountancy
PhD Applied Economics, PhD Banking and Finance (option in Banking or Finance), PhD Business Administration and Management, PhD Communication Management, PhD Cooperative Economics and Management.

Others are, PhD Entrepreneurship and Innovation, PhD Forensic Accounting, PhD Governance and Legislative Studies, PhD Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management, PhD Marketing, PhD Public Administration, PhD Risk Management, PhD Security Studies and Conflict Resolution, as well as Master degrees on the above courses.

Prof. Okoye, who titled the press briefing as, "Town and Gown: UBS and National Development Using Global Benchmarking", explained how the school measure up with other business schools through its exchange programme to be well-positioned to compete in the global marketplace, bearing in mind, the Project 200 of Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

He said, "Apart from the exchange programme, we have started improving our trade in the area of our primary mandate namely; improving and developing human infrastructure. "It is our belief that with the commencement of the new programmes, UBS will double in student size and would have made us set sail as the flagship of Business Schools in Nigeria, and the world over.

"In a bid to deliver on world class learning experience for short term certificate programmes, we have entered into collaboration with the Centre for Regional and International Development (CRID) based in both Canada and United Kingdom in April of 2022 while in August of 2022, we forged a collaboration with the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA) for certificate programme in seven (7) different areas.

"This include Family and Owner Business Management (FOB), Cooperative and Agri-Business Management (CAB), Business Leadership Management (BLM), Business Language and Management (BLM)- Mandarin or French options, Security Studies and Conflict Resolution Management (SCR), Hospitality Management (HM) and International Business Management (IBM).

"The most profound is the business language with options in either Mandarin (Chinese language) or French. This programme is gradually picking up. It is worthy of mention that in addition to being incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), UBS joined and has become a corporate member of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce", the director enthused.

In a reaction during the briefing, the UBS Deputy Director, Dr. Chinedu Onyeizugbe, explained that the business school was setting an unprecedented record within the few years of its establishment, disclosing that the school graduated 33 doctoral students recently.

While commending the university vice-chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone for his support to the school, said UBS was developing a Learning Management System (LMS) to facilitate teaching and learning for remote participants from any part of the world, as well as "boost the interphase with our students participating from the United States and the United Kingdom".

Present at the press conference were also the Principal Assistant Registrar to UBS, Dr. Dorothy Nkechi Chidulue and other UBS staff.