Lofa County University Faculty to Pursue PhDs at Ahmadu Bello

Published: August 10, 2026

ZARIA, Kaduna State, Nigeria — Lofa County University faculty members will be able to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria under an agreement signed here, starting with agriculture and engineering, the two fields the Liberian university has identified as most critical to its growth.

Dr. Isaac P. Podah, president and CEO of LCU, signed the memorandum of understanding at the close of a four-day visit, and Professor Adamu Ahmed, vice-chancellor of ABU, signed for the Nigerian institution. Podah traveled with Momo Taylor, LCU’s vice president for institutional development. The LCU Board approved the partnership in March.

The first doctoral openings are in agronomy, agricultural extension, crop science and horticulture, civil engineering with a highway structures focus, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, concentrated in ABU’s Faculty of Agriculture and College of Engineering. The agreement allows for later expansion into business and public administration, accounting, economics, nursing and health sciences, education, English, history and geography, subject to mutual agreement and institutional readiness.

Early cohorts will study in person at ABU. The arrangement is meant to shift over time toward a blended model combining online instruction with periodic face-to-face sessions, as LCU builds out its digital and technical infrastructure, so that faculty can take advanced degrees without long absences from teaching and administration.

A joint steering committee drawn from both universities will oversee implementation, monitor student progress and take up additional areas of cooperation. The memorandum runs for an initial five years and may be renewed by mutual agreement. LCU is to identify and nominate faculty who meet ABU’s postgraduate admission requirements.

The delegation toured ABU’s academic facilities and assessed its postgraduate programs, research environment and capacity to support LCU faculty before the signing.