ABUAD Strengthens World-Class Vision with High-Impact Teaching Pedagogy Workshop

Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has reinforced its commitment to academic excellence, innovative teaching, and global relevance with the successful hosting of a Two-Day Train-the-Trainer Workshop on Teaching Pedagogy, held on January 6 and 7, 2026, at the Alfa Belgore Hall.

The workshop, themed “Building a World-Class University: Pedagogical Innovation, Research Integrity, and Institutional Impact,” convened leading academics, researchers, and scholars to examine emerging trends in teaching, research, innovation, and institutional sustainability in the 21st century.

Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor E. Smaranda Olarinde, FCArb, FCAI, described the workshop as a strategic intervention aimed at sustaining ABUAD’s leadership in higher education.

“Pedagogy is no longer a routine transmission of knowledge but a deliberate, reflective, and innovative enterprise. 

At ABUAD, we are intentional about equipping our academic staff with the skills, mindset, and ethical grounding required to educate learners in a technology-driven, fast-changing world.”

Professor Olarinde emphasised that the University’s greatest strength lies in its academic workforce, noting that continuous professional development remains central to ABUAD’s vision of excellence in teaching, research, and societal impact.

In his goodwill message, the Founder and Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, OFR, CON, challenged lecturers to abandon outdated teaching methods and embrace innovative approaches that inspire curiosity and deep learning. Drawing from personal experience, he underscored the enduring power of storytelling in education.

“The best way to impart knowledge, stimulate curiosity, and capture attention is through storytelling. Know your subject, plan your lessons well, and teach in a way that leaves a lasting impression on the learner,” the Founder stated.

Delivering the keynote address, former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University and former Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Professor Michael Faborode, FAEng, provided a strategic roadmap for ABUAD’s continued rise as a world-class institution.

“A 21st-century university must balance academic excellence with societal relevance, innovation, and impact. Universities are built on collaboration, shared vision, and collective responsibility. Every lecturer, student, staff member, and alumnus is a stakeholder in sustaining greatness.” he said

Using Aare Afe Babalola as a case study, Professor Faborode noted that one individual can change a national narrative, describing ABUAD’s Founder as “one of the few Nigerians transforming education and humanity for the better, not only in Nigeria but beyond.”

He further highlighted the global shift from the traditional research mantra of “Publish or Perish” to “Publish, Produce (Patent), and Prosper,” urging academics to translate research outputs into patents, innovations, and commercial value.

The workshop featured a rich blend of lectures and masterclasses covering academic supervision, mentorship, grant proposal writing, Afeism as ABUAD’s leadership philosophy, student-centred pedagogy, ethical use of artificial intelligence, distance learning, high-impact publishing, global research funding opportunities such as Horizon Europe, and academic planning frameworks for studentship excellence.

Professor Olarinde in her closing remarks re-echoed by the Chairman Local Organising Committee, Prof. Yekini Lawal, urged participants to translate knowledge gained into action.

“Let the lessons learnt cascade into our lectures, laboratories, studios, workshops, and research ecosystem, because together we constitute ABUAD’s success story of a world-class university”

With this landmark initiative, ABUAD continues to demonstrate that its pursuit of excellence is deliberate, strategic, and people-driven, anchored on visionary leadership, disciplined execution, and a firm resolve to remain a beacon of world-class education in Nigeria, Africa, and the global academic community.