20 Nigerians benefit from British workshop on academic writing

152

About 20 Nigerians have benefited from the joint British Academy and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) workshop on academic writing and publishing.

The three-day capacity workshop with the theme: ”Academic Writing and Publishing Workshop: Training and Mentorship for Practice-Based Researches in Design, Visuals and Performing Arts” was held at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that beneficiaries of the capacity building workshop, which started on Nov. 10 and ended Nov. 12, were drawn from the academia and creative industry practitioners.

The co-partner of the workshop, GCRF is an international agency that supports cutting edge research to address challenges faced by developing countries.

It is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The capacity workshop was held in three countries in Africa namely, Mauritius, South Africa and Nigeria.

Facilitators of the workshop were the General Manager, National Theatre, Prof. Sunday Adodo, Prof. Osakue Omoera, Prof. Charles Nwadgwe and Dr Kene Igweone from the U.K., and others around the world.

Speaking on the essence of the workshop, Adodo said it was the drive of the National Theatre management to reposition the creative industry on ways to achieve a knowledge-based workforce.

“The capacity workshop is meant to enhance a broad spectrum of knowledge. It is a mentorship drive designed on a practice-based knowledge in designs, visuals for the creative sector of the economy.

“What we have gained here is that we have learnt on how to get funding to expand our researches and how to get sponsorships for the post-doctoral thesis.

“We also learnt the more effective way of communicating with our audience. We have been given tools to use to develop and horn our skills in the creative sector.

“We in the academics are the ones to impact knowledge in the practitioners, so, we need to be more adept in knowledge about the new development around the world,” he said.

Adodo said that Nigeria had not much of practice-based research which we want to make possible, he said.