Lagos State University (LASU) has actually enhanced its internationalisation drive with the signing of a Memorandum of Arrangement (MoA) with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), United States, to improve cooperation in teaching, research, academic exchange and international health.
The arrangement was formalised during a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony and roundtable discussion held at the UIC School of Public Health in Chicago on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
The LASU delegation was led by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN), alongside the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM. Other members of the delegation included Governing Council members, Mr. Towanu Abiodun Hundeyin and Prof. Shaffideen Amuwo, in addition to the Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel A. Fanu.
The ceremony likewise included a roundtable conversation during which agents of both institutions checked out chances for deeper partnership in education, research study and international health.
Under the five-year arrangement, LASU and UIC will collaborate on faculty and trainee exchange programmes, joint research study tasks, joint academic initiatives and the exchange of scholastic products. Particular activities will be executed through mutually agreed programs by both institutions.
Speaking on the significance of the partnership, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olatunji-Bello described the contract as another major milestone in LASU’s internationalisation agenda. She said the cooperation lines up with her administration’s vision of placing the university as a globally competitive organization, including that the initiative has continued to receive the full support of the University’s 13th Governing Council.
The Vice-Chancellor also commended the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Oseni Taiwo Afisi, for his strategic engagements and sustained efforts, which she stated contributed to the effective conclusion of the partnership.
In his remarks, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Ogala, revealed optimism that the agreement would develop new opportunities for scholastic partnership and even more strengthen LASU’s position as one of Nigeria’s leading universities.
The University kept in mind that the contract with the University of Illinois Chicago is the current in a series of international partnerships targeted at expanding its global reach. It recalled that it just recently signed a Memorandum of Comprehending with the Centuries Campus Network (MCN), protecting the hosting rights for the worldwide MCN Top arranged for March 2027.
According to the University, the most recent cooperation reinforces LASU’s growing track record as an emerging centre of academic quality in Africa, committed to promoting worldwide visibility, impactful collaborations and internationally relevant education.