France Embassy fosters academic exchange through trade fair

To foster collaboration and exchange between the educational systems of France and Nigeria, the French embassy hosted a comprehensive educational trade fair.

This event held at Lycee Français Marcel Pagnol, a French high school in Abuja, served as a dynamic platform designed to facilitate the sharing and cross-pollination of innovative ideas, best practices, and pedagogical approaches between the two countries.

By bringing together educators, policymakers, and stakeholders from both nations, the fair aimed to stimulate dialogue, enhance understanding, and explore potential partnerships that could enrich the educational experiences of students in both France and Nigeria.

The Science and Higher Education Attaché and Deputy Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs, Sébastien Bede, noted that the opportunities to develop synergy between French universities and Nigerian universities in research, grant, and staff mobility are enormous.

He also disclosed that the language barrier is not a significant issue, as France currently offers over 1,700 programs taught in English. This provides ample opportunities for non-French speakers to pursue their studies effectively.

“With projections indicating that French will be the most spoken language in Africa by 2050, developing these language skills can open up further opportunities for collaboration and growth. Learning French would primarily enrich the everyday student and become an asset as Nigeria is surrounded by French-speaking countries,” he said.

One of the exhibitors, an African Development Officer, from Emlyon Business School, Augusta Imomon, emphasized the immense talent and potential of Nigerians to excel in France’s esteemed educational environment.

She pointed out that France’s academic system is deeply committed to research, workshops, and presentations, fostering an engaging and dynamic learning experience for its students.

According to her, active participation is designed to ensure that students remain intellectually stimulated and prepared for future challenges.

The Director of AE-FUNAI French Centre, Prof Nnenna Nwosu, pointed out that Nigeria ranks among France’s top commercial and economic partners, and highlighted the potential advantages of strengthening educational partnerships between the two nations.

“Nigeria can train a critical mass of their graduates in France, instead of sending them to the United Kingdom, or the United States, we’ve had enough of those people. Let’s try the French scholarship, France the language barrier has been addressed. Most postgraduate courses are designed to be taught in English,” she said.

Also, Adelaide Tunde, a student from Nile University, expressed her enthusiasm for the academic exchange trade fair in shaping the scholarly fabric of the country.

She called for more academic collaborations that would greatly benefit students in Nigeria.