Nigerian South African-based businessman and technology enthusiast, Dr Charles Awuzie, has donated a million naira to a research team at the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Abia State University (ABSU), for the facilitation of anti-aging research.

Awuzie, a Biochemistry graduate of the university and founder and CEO of Gemsbok Group, stated that the funds will enable Professor Eziuche A. Ugbogu of the Department of Biochemistry and his students to research anti-aging and longevity.

Awuzie, who is also the co-founder and CEO of Transhuman Coin (THC), stated that beyond funding students’ research on anti-ageing, they will also create a student exchange programme where the best science and technology students from selected universities in Nigeria, including ABSU, will visit the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, on an exchange programme.

“Our passion is to encourage scientific research in Nigeria and expose our future scientists and technologists in Africa to opportunities around the world,” he said.

Professor Ugbogu, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the university, while confirming the funds and partnership, appreciated Awuzie and the Transhumanism research team – especially, Peter Xing, the co-founder of THC − for the gesture.

Professor Ugbogu said the funds will enable his students to study the bioactive phytoconstituents of untapped edible medicinal plants with anti-ageing and life-prolonging potentials in Nigeria as part of their undergraduate project.
Awuzie said that longevity is another emerging field of interest and that biotechnology is going to take the world by storm just like artificial intelligence.

In light of this, he added: “With the ongoing disruptive research findings in longevity science, death by natural causes will be optional and humans will live over 150 years by 2045.”

Awuzie stressed that if Nigeria must develop, education must be made more attractive, hard work must be rewarded, and students must be incentivised.

He stated that the funds donated to his alma mater is part of THC’s efforts to support and partner with institutions and companies researching anti-ageing, longevity and brain-computer interface technologies.

“We are a global team of scientists and technologists seeking ways to solve difficult human problems and we can only achieve that through funding technology and science,” he said.