Investment in human capital has been identified as the key to sustainable economy.
This was disclosed by the Chancellor, Covenant University, Dr David Oyedepo, at the just concluded 1st Covenant University International Conference on African Development Issues (CU-ICADI).
The 2-day conference which held at the University campus between May 5 and 6, 2014, focused on “Rising Opportunities for Investors in Africa and the Prospect of an Economic Miracle”.
Dr Oyedepo acknowledged that every true change in a nation was made possible by its stakeholders who are not satisfied with the status-quo.
“Every true change of story in any nation is traceable to a renewed commitment and investment in knowledge. It’s so important for us in this part of the world to re-engineer our value system for knowledge.
“Responsibility is the price for greatness. It’s time for us in Africa to take real responsibility in dealing with our issues. Otherwise, we may find ourselves at a point for ever,” he warned.
Dr Oyedepo, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Regents of the University, stated that, “This is what Covenant University is all about. Packaging the changes we want to see in all our students so they can go and effect these changes accordingly”.
He enjoined the participants not to allow the conference end as a mere talk show. “Anybody can get information, but information utilization is what gives value to that information. You might know the right thing to do, until you do it, it doesn’t make any difference”, he advised.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Ayo, noted that the major reason for the conference was the quest of the University to become one of the ten leading universities in the world in the next ten years, tagged “Vision 10:2022.
Professor Ayo noted that it was important for the University to network with institutions and faculty members who are already in this status. This, he stated, prompted the University to organize the Conference where two Nobel Laureates in economics, Professor Eric Maskin and Professor Thomas Sargent led other key resource persons to discuss the rising opportunities for investors in Africa and the prospect of an economic miracle.
“At Covenant University, we are mindful of the opportunities available on the Continent waiting to be tapped. In this respect, this conference is poised to further explore paths for sustainable economic growth and development of the Continent”, the Vice Chancellor explained.
