IAUE: Cisco Donates Equipment To ICT Centre, Plans Networking Academy

By Tunde Uchegbuo

A giant in internet connectivity and global leader in manufacturing computer equipment, cyber security and Internet of Things, Cisco Corporation, has donated training equipment comprising 19,000 series of Routers and 2,950 series of Switches to the Information and Communications Technology Centre in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.

Making the presentation today at the council chambers, Cisco Advisory Board member for Africa, Dr Daniel Ekpeh, said the donation would help in capacity building and preparing students for careers in computer networking.Ekpeh disclosed that the company is planning to establish a Networking Academy in the university, as he revealed that the institution’s ICT centre has eight Cisco certified instructors, and emphasised that its certification is recognised internationally.

The Advisory Board member advised the university management to put the devices to optimal use, decrying an instance where equipment given to some tertiary institutions in the country remained in the container instead of deploying them for the right purpose.Responding, the Vice-Chancellor of IAUE, Professor Okechuku Onuchuku, applauded Cisco for contributing to human capacity development in the university and recalled a similar engagement he had with the company when he was the Director of the University of Port Harcourt Business School.

Onuchuku also welcomed the idea of establishing a Cisco Academy in the institution, noting that it would benefit the students and interested members of the public to acquire relevant skills for in-demand jobs in the digital technology sector, while equally serving as a source of revenue generation to the institution.In the same vein, Cisco’s Communication Officer, Dr Williams Wodi, who welcomed the presentation of the devices, said it was to support the Vice-Chancellor’s administration in the institution, as he expressed happiness for the planned establishment of the academy in IAUE.

Cisco Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, California, and is integral to the growth of Silicon Valley. The company develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, software, equipment and other high-technology services and products. It also offers professional certification in networking at the Associate, Professional, and Expert levels.