Chinedum Treasure
The Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Ugochukwu Bond Anyaehie, has approved a ₦10 million investment in bamboo enterprise development and announced a series of measures to strengthen the Sahelian Institute for Bamboo Research and Entrepreneurship Development (SIBRED).
Anyaehie made the announcement while receiving the Director of SIBRED, Dr John Ogbodo, alongside members of the institute’s management and other partners during a familiarisation visit to the university.
The Vice-Chancellor said the investment would be implemented after the institute’s commercial and financial operations are fully integrated into the university’s administrative system.
He explained that proceeds from the bamboo enterprises would be channelled into the university, with profits supporting the Endowment Fund and providing sustainable funding for research and innovation.
Emphasising transparency and accountability, Professor Anyaehie maintained that every institute operating under the university’s name must be managed in a manner that delivers measurable benefits to the institution.
As part of the restructuring, he directed that SIBRED’s financial accounts be regularised under the university’s control and ordered the formal inauguration of the institute’s governing board to provide effective oversight.
The Vice-Chancellor also approved the conservation of all bamboo stands within the UNIZIK Awka campus, describing them as valuable research and economic assets.
He further allocated additional office accommodation to SIBRED at the new University Entrepreneurship Workshop located near the university’s Solar Farm, while allowing the institute to retain its existing office spaces.
In addition, Professor Anyaehie directed the University Bursar to deploy a dedicated Financial Officer to the institute to strengthen its financial management.
Earlier, Director of SIBRED, Dr Ogbodo, showcased several bamboo-based innovations developed by the institute, including organic soap produced from bamboo fibre, bamboo charcoal, bamboo ash products, bamboo leaf extract and bamboo-based aftershave.
He said the institute’s research had demonstrated the enormous commercial potential of bamboo, noting that relatively modest investment in bamboo soap production alone could generate significant returns for the university.
Dr Ogbodo also disclosed that SIBRED had pursued research funding for the use of bamboo-derived biochar in the phytoremediation of crude oil-polluted land in the Niger Delta.
He appealed to the Vice-Chancellor to provide additional support for the institute’s operations, including improved infrastructure, while urging the university to preserve SIBRED’s status as an independent research institute to enhance its capacity to attract international grants and strategic partnerships.
Established in September 2023, SIBRED is recognised as Africa’s first university-based institute dedicated to bamboo research and entrepreneurship development.
The institute has also facilitated bamboo-related capacity-building opportunities for its researchers in China through international collaborations.
Principal officers and senior management staff of the university witnessed the visit.
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