Prof. Jacinta Opara appointed Member, Governing Council/Board of AIMTDS, Kigali-Rwanda  

Professor Jacinta Opara has been appointed a member of the Governing Council/Board of African Institute of Management, Technology and Development(AIMTDS), Kigali-Rwanda.

An official statement said that the Institute, at its meeting on July 16, 2024, approved the appointment of Prof Opara as Member of Governing Council/Board of the institution for five years. The statement noted that the appointment is expected to add value of innovation and academic eminence, stressing that a scholar of Prof Opara’s status with a proven track record in higher education and an outstanding commitment to fostering learning and research, is balanced to make a sustainable impact on the Institute and the broader academic community.

African Institute of Management, Technology and Development Studies (AIMTDS) is a leading educational, research, credible training and independent development institution. The Institute is renowned for providing academic leadership, training, research based evidence and critical analysis to support the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies. To accomplish its mission, the Institute serves as a platform which works in partnership with universities, governments, NGOs and a number of academic centers in the globe to conduct educational programmes, organize conferences, conduct researches and joint projects. AIMTDS provides academic and professional capacity building training, research, consultancy and advisory services.

Originally founded in 1998 as Development Africa Consortium, AIMTDS is established by a group of African researchers and experts and joined by many partners worldwide. It has continued to play the role of a leading think tank in the Global South, and to serve as a reference point for relevant change processes.

Since its creation, AIMTDS has managed to build a robust network involving various stakeholders such as researchers, experts, Ph.D Students, decision makers, practitioners, journalists, etc. from different spheres and scientific areas. Apart from running various academic and professional programmes in collaboration with various academic institutions, the Institute has organized several international conferences and several training/building capacity workshops, provided expertise for many institutions, and published books and numerous papers which are globally distributed and recognized.

Prof Jacinta A. Opara, a leading African environmental scholar, scientist, health researcher, consultant and development activist with the combined power of management and human rights is until this appointment the Vice Chancellor of Dominican University, Ibadan-Nigeria, President, African Association for Teaching and Learning and Chairman, Governing Council of the Institute of Policy Management Development. Prof Opara is a graduate of University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She received postgraduate education from University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, University of Granada, Central University of Nicaragua,
Akerhsus University (now Olso Metropolitan University), Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) and University of Chalco-Mexico.

In the last 25 years, she has had teaching, research and consulting experiences across Africa, America, Europe and Asia. She rose through the ranks and was promoted to full Professor in 2016 at Kampala International University(KIU). She has held appointments at a number of private and public universities. These include: Avance International University (AIU), University of Maiduguri; Federal University, Kashere; Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University (KOMU), Sule Lamido University (SLU), Nasarawa State University (NSUK) and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria-Nigeria where she showcased excellence in her dedication and strong passion for educational development.

She has served as Visiting Scholar of Gender, Peace and Security at IISJ (Universidad de Basque County-UPV/EHU), Gipuzkoa-Spain; Visiting Professor at Kigali Independent University; Metropolitan International University; Mount Kenya University; Laikipia University; University of The Gambia; Nexus International University; Commonwealth University; Athens Institute of Education and Research; National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Bulawayo Zimbabwe amongst others.

Her administrative experiences in the higher education system are broad, deep and current, having served in various capacities as Head of Department, Dean, Director and Deputy Vice Chancellor. She is a cosmopolitan scholar possessing excellent skills of living with people of different cultures. She has a proven record of teaching, research and community services that had earned her the respect of peers locally
and globally. She possesses demonstrable strong interpersonal and team-building skills to build bridges between all relevant stakeholders across time and space in higher education and human capacity building.

Prof Opara has worked on a number of projects, partnership initiatives and human capacity-building initiatives with a wide range of stakeholders. She has organized several international conferences, seminars and workshops across the globe. She coordinated the Publication Project of the Nigeria’s 50 Years Anniversary. She is Editor in Chief of Journal of Health and Environmental Studies;
Metropolitan Journal of Science and Technology and serves on the editorial board of over 40 international journals. She has received 25 awards including the Erasmus Mundus of the European Commission, Brussels-Belgium, the prestigious IATEL Award for Academic Excellence in 2015 and 2024 Distinguished Leadership Achievement Award.

Prof Opara has supervised to completion several PhD candidates and Masters Students. Her leadership, mentorship and research experience is enviable as she guides her team of postgraduate students through the research journey. She maintains consulting status with several agencies in the areas of environment, health, gender, human rights, peace and security, sexuality, education, human capacity building and
community development. She is also a Fellow of the African Sexuality Leadership Development funded by Ford Foundation.

Prof Opara, a devout Christian of the Catholic faith, speaks two international languages (English and Spanish) and has visited over 30 countries. She has more than 200 publications and is married with five children (three boys and two girls).