In 2015, Covenant University hosted captains of industry, with the general objective of harmonising Industry/Academic partnership for national development. The luncheon was a strategic approach to finding a lasting solution to the challenges of quality education and nation-building. Many a time, the focus has been on the University to chart a pathway for national growth, development and breakthroughs in politics, industry, commerce, science and technology.

At Covenant University, we realise that sectional discourse will not do much beyond highlighting the problems and proffering theoretical solutions. Covenant University is out to champion the desired change, and hence the involvement of the industries across the globe in our partnership drive.

From time past, education or quality education has been the bedrock of nation-building. Thus, there is a direct relationship between educational development and national development or well-being. This is evident from the countries wherein world-class universities are domiciled (Examples abound in the 1^st and 2^nd World countries). For Nigeria and indeed Africa to belong to this league, concerted efforts must be made by our universities towards massive investments in Research and Development for nation-building.

Like in most developed economies, the higher education institutions are expected to be the engine room for national development. Home-grown technologies/solutions are the only way out of the current socio-political and economic crises of the developing nations of the world. The areas of concern include:

• The Insurgency
• The Transportation
• The Political/Electoral
• The Economic/Unemployment
• The Power/Electricity
• The Technological
• The Educational
• The Food Security

The Directorate of Industry Partnership was established in 2016 to leverage on the success recorded at the industry partnership luncheon held in 2015. A year later, the directorate became a unit under the Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID). It was established to foster strong business alliance with industries, culminating in national development across the nation. Its mission is in tandem with the mission of Covenant in training students who will be mentally resourceful, intellectually equipped, entrepreneurially self-dependent, futuristically visionary, responsibility sensitive and emotionally stable through a human development-based curriculum with emphasis on the development of the ‘Total Man’.

Since inception, the unit has interfaced and signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding with key players in the manufacturing and service industries, research institutes, professional and governmental agencies, etc. Some of the MoUs have translated into active collaborative engagements with the industry in research, teaching and community service.

The unit hopes to intensify efforts and undertake the following activities in line with CUCRID’s terms of reference:

1. To attract long-term Industry collaborations, whose benefits would include among others; steady external funding streams, enhanced opportunities for faculty to work on groundbreaking research, modernised teaching and learning experience, and the impact of providing solutions for pressing social challenges thereby helping to drive nation-building.
2. To maintain constant dialogue with potential industry partner and see the partnership drive through to fruition.