Yale President, Peter Salovey was in Nigeria over the last week as part of his Yale Africa Initiative, establishing new and strengthening existing partnerships between Yale and other institutions in the country. He believes collaborative research and teaching that bridge national borders and cultures can further amplify the positive effects of universities.
Over four days, Peter Salovey participated with university collaborators in meetings, events, tours, and other activities to build and strengthen Yale’s research and educational partnerships in Nigeria. These are some of the highlights of his visit to Nigeria:
Techpoint Townhall Meeting – Salovey had an interactive discussion with the technology entrepreneurship ecosystem in Lagos. The primary purpose was for he and his team to gain valuable insights about the local tech entrepreneurship ecosystem. Salovey also revealed during the meeting that Yale University is “building up capacity to provide education for people interested in entrepreneurship or a career in innovation. People building startups or simply learning to think like someone who builds startups.”
Meeting with Tony Elumelu Foundation – Salovey visited the Tony Elumelu Foundation and met with the CEO, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu to discuss opportunities for bi-directional partnerships to empower African entrepreneurs.
Global Network Investment Competition – Salovey met with the Lagos Business School’s team competing in the Global Network Investment Competition, hosted by the Yale School of Management. This year’s team from Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University in Nigeria, is currently doing well as the competition nears its completion on April 30, 2020. Known as Team Albatross, the team’s net return as of January 15 is 15.64% vs Nigerian Stock Exchange Mai-Board which puts them in second place so far among the 24 teams competing.
HAPPINESS Project in Nigeria: Yale, partners expand mental health program – Salovey met with officials to finalize plans to expand the HAPPINESS Project (Health Action for Psychiatric Problems In Nigeria including Epilepsy and Substances), an ongoing Yale partnership with the government of Imo State, Nigeria.
Co-Sponsorship for Collaborative Training and Research on African Linguistics – Salovey announced that Yale will co-sponsor two upcoming meetings of the African Linguistics School, which is devoted to collaborative training and research on generative linguistics in Africa. The first of these Yale-sponsored meetings will take place in Benin Republic in July 2021. The co-sponsorship both allows Yale to contribute to the study and preservation of African languages and fosters a deeper understanding of the shared features of all human languages.