University of Reading Unveils New Africa Growth Strategy at Centenary Celebration

The University of Reading chose Lagos as one of the stops for its 100th-anniversary celebrations, presenting the Nigerian event as a sign of its growing commitment to Africa.

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This centenary started in India. It went through the UK, then Malaysia, Thailand and China. Tonight it’s in Lagos, and it finishes in December in Southern Africa.

The university’s centenary programme began in India and continued through the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Thailand and China. It will conclude in Southern Africa in December. Jon Foster-Pedley, associate pro vice-chancellor and dean and director of Henley Business School Africa, said the locations reflected the university’s global reach and its links with Nigeria.

Steve Babaeko, chief executive and chief creative officer of X3M Ideas, urged alumni to combine formal education with creativity, resilience and practical leadership. Babaeko, a Henley alumnus and visiting fellow, said business education developed internationally could work effectively in African settings.

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You can tell what a university has become by where it chooses to have its birthday. We chose to have ours across the world, and we chose to have this part of it in Nigeria.

“What I understand now that I did not understand then is that world-class rigour and African relevance are not opposites. You can have both in the same room,” Babaeko said.

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What I understand now that I did not understand then is that world-class rigour and African relevance are not opposites. You can have both in the same room.

Paul Orajiaka, head of the Henley Business School Nigeria Alumni Association, said the diversity of award recipients showed the contribution of the university’s alumni across Nigeria’s economy. He said their achievements reflected training that emphasized leadership and values as well as academic performance.

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This is a testament of the school’s training of her students in not just academics but also in leadership and values.