The Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti, in collaboration with the British Council, has launched a major initiative aimed at advancing sustainable, eco-friendly and paperless university administration through the EcoScriber capacity-building programme for university administrators.

The programme, organised by ABUAD’s Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEES Institute), was held at the university’s Senate Chambers, themed: “From Paper to Digital: Optimising Administrative Processes for Sustainable Higher Education.”

The event brought together university administrators, ICT professionals, sustainability experts, student innovators, digital media practitioners and participants from several higher institutions within and outside Nigeria.

In her welcome address, ABUAD’s Vice-Chancellor, Elisabeta Smaranda Olarinde, praised the British Council for supporting the initiative and commended the OGEES Institute, sustainability innovation hub project team and participants for driving the vision of sustainable administration.

She said that EcoScriber was designed to tackle persistent administrative challenges in higher institutions, especially the continued reliance on paper-based workflows, physical files and manual document routing.

Olarinde linked the initiative to the vision of ABUAD founder, Afe Babalola, to build an innovative, responsible and sustainable institution.

She noted that ABUAD’s ranking as first in Nigeria for sustainability impact for four consecutive years, third in Africa and 84th globally, places a responsibility on the university to align its administrative systems with global standards.

In his opening remark, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, and Director of the OGEES Institute, Damilola Olawuyi, described the programme as a major step toward strengthening sustainable administrative practices in higher education.

He stressed that sustainability extends beyond environmental policies that include how universities manage records, reduce waste, preserve institutional memory and improve evidence-based reporting.

Also speaking, British Council Programme Manager, Tosin Adeoti, said EcoScriber forms part of the innovation for African universities initiative, as supported by the British Council, to encourage innovation and practical problem-solving across African universities.

He said that the project would be showcased alongside other innovation initiatives during a final pitch event scheduled for Ghana in May 2026.

ABUAD Registrar, Christie Oluborode, emphasised the importance of communication, record-keeping, ethics and confidentiality in effective university administration, noting that technology can only succeed where discipline and due process are valued.

In the final lecture, Bayo Ogundipe spoke on digital readiness, urging administrators to develop practical digital skills necessary for modern university operations.