ASR Africa has conferred the prestigious “Abdul Samad Rabiu Achievers Award” on 40 mentees from its mentorship programme in Al-Qalam University, Katsina State, Nigeria. The three-month mentorship programme organised for students of the Al-Qalam University ended with a closeout ceremony in the university.

This programme, which focused on three thematic areas including career, personal, and entrepreneurial development, brought together female mentors from different walks of life, including the United Nations committee members, global experts from the Middle East, business professionals, media experts, and the ASR Africa subject matter specialists. These mentors provided insights to the mentees through real life training on topical issues as well as experience sharing.

Speaking at the closeout event in Katsina State, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nair Musa Yauri, commended the Chairman of BUA Group and ASR Africa, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, for his support to tertiary institutions in the country. Being a beneficiary of the N250 million grant of ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant Scheme (TEGS) 2022/2023, he applauded the management for adding value to the quality of education being delivered by the institution. He further applauded ASR Africa for organising and facilitating the mentorship programme for the institution’s final year students and added that he is confident that the students have sufficient tools to reach their full potentials. 

MD/CEO of ASR Africa, Dr Ubon Udoh, thanked the institution for giving ASR Africa the platform to impact the lives of the mentees and to support the university.  According to Ubon, this initiative fits into the vision of Rabiu and ASR Africa for the education sector in Nigeria. He added that the benefits of human capital development cannot be overlooked as it enhances productivity, skill development, improved morale and innovation. He encouraged the mentees to utilise all they have learned from the programme and continue to engage as much as they can with the ASR Africa team whenever they feel stuck.

The mentees expressed their appreciation to ASR Africa for the mentorship programme. They thanked the facilitators who devoted their time and resources to educate, motivate, and inspire them to greater achievements. Mentees were presented with Certificates of Completion, and the ASR Africa Achievers award at the end of the programme.