Nigerian delegation visits campus

Posted: July 27, 2012 11:30 a.m.

Godwin Poi in an interactive session with Rivers States Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) students. Poi is the General Manager of Human Capital Development for RSSDA. Photo: Arturo Segura, UR International

The UR International team had the honour of welcoming Godwin Poi to the University of Regina this month for his first official visit to Canada. Poi is the  General Manager of Human Capital Development for the Rivers States Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) of Nigeria. Over the past few years, Nigerian student enrolment has increased at the University thanks to RSSDA.

The RSSDA is a multi-sector agency that undertakes projects in a wide variety of areas, including youth development and re-orientation, education, health, skills acquisition, employment and local government. The RSSDA runs a large overseas scholarship program in which more than 450 Rivers State students take academic and professional courses in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Canada.

During the two-day visit Poi met with key stakeholders to discuss potential collaboration and strategies to increase the number of Nigerian students enrolled at the University and had various opportunities to speak with RSSDA students currently attending.

As of the 2012 winter semester 195 Nigerian students were studying at the University of Regina, from which 143 students were from RSSDA; the majority enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.