ACETEL, one of the World Bank-supported Centres of Excellence in select Nigerian universities, has successfully established a state-of-the-art Data Centre and a comprehensive Application and Registration Portal.
The Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, officially inaugurated these innovations during a brief ceremony held at the university’s headquarters in Abuja.
Peters highlighted that ACETEL has developed two IT-driven tools to streamline the university’s operations and improve service delivery to its stakeholders. He revealed that over 150 international students are currently enrolled in ACETEL, and the new IT solutions have resolved challenges these students faced in paying tuition fees.
Commending the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its role in facilitating the initiative, Peters also extended his congratulations to the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the Commission.
“We’ve invited guests to witness the launch and commissioning of two important tools that the university will be using. The first one is the registration portal. The second one is the data centre. All the World Bank-assisted Centres of Excellence are expected to have something unique to themselves, and this is why we developed a new registration portal,” he stated.
He further explained: “ACETEL is designed to accommodate international students, which means payments will have to be made in foreign currencies. The system in Nigeria primarily operates in Naira.
“This launch marks a pilot phase for what we plan to implement across the Niger University. Now, our international students, about 150 of them, will find it easier to pay directly through our remittance portal. This will grant them access to their lectures and other academic services.”
On the data centre, Peters elaborated: “This university had a data centre when we were based in Lagos, but it is essential, given the nature of our IT-based services, that we have a localised data centre. ACETEL was tasked with developing this, and they have done so.
“We now have what we refer to as both a cloud archiver system and a local data system. All university units have been integrated into this data centre, with a strong focus on data analytics. As a university at the forefront of personalised and adaptive learning, we need a facility that ensures continuity of access to our data, even if there are issues with the cloud. Our data centre allows us to retain control over our data, which is crucial for operational efficiency.”
He emphasised that the primary objective of the data centre is to ensure the institution retains permanent control over its data, enabling it to deliver education more effectively.
ACETEL Director, Professor Grace Jokthan, expressed satisfaction with the advancements. “We are happy that we can now deliver the right services to our students. This will ease much of the workload, making our processes both cost-effective and efficient. We are grateful for this achievement,” she stated.
Regarding the data centre’s role, Jokthan added that the infrastructure would enhance data analytics, decision-making, and overall operational efficiency within the university.
She stressed the importance of collaboration and awareness among the university’s directorates to maximise the potential of the new systems.
“We will continue to create awareness and work with all university units to ensure seamless integration and optimal use of these new systems,” she concluded.
