A 2-week Bioimaging and Open hardware workshop for African bio-scientists to train microscopy users in West Africa was launched today at Yobe State University where the first and only Biomedical Science Research and Training Center (BioRTC) is located in Nigeria.
Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has commended the efforts of Yobe State University Damaturu and Biomedical Science Research and Training Center (BioRTC) for organizing the event in the state.
The Governor stated this at the opening of the 10-day workshop at Geidam Hall of Yobe State University Damaturu.
Represented by the Commissioner, Ministry of Higher Education, Prof. Muhammad Munkaila, he said that the State Government is ready to support the University and BioRTC in carrying out research for the benefit of the state and the country to help them solve local and global biomedical science research problems.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Mala Mohammed Daura, said Yobe State Government has already approved the construction of a Mega Laboratory for the BioRTC, stressing that the University is happy with the founder of BioRTC, Assoc. Prof. Mahmoud Bukar Maina for inviting international scientists as resource persons for the workshop and always supporting the development of the university.
On his part, the founder of BioRTC, Assoc. Prof. Mahmoud Bukar Maina, who is also a member of the higher education NGO – TReND in Africa and a researcher at the University of Sussex, UK, said the International Summer School Workshop drew resource persons from different parts of the world including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Germany and Japan.
He added that the workshop is aimed at exposing and training scientists and medical professionals using the state-of-the-art laboratory on equipment at BioRTC, which includes Zeiss Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope, Li-Odyssey XF Imaging system, PCR, and qPCR machines, that can be used in testing samples, including Genotype, Coronavirus and HIV/Aids, among others.
In their separate remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Services, Assoc. Prof. Mohammed Musa Lawan and Registrar, Dr. Kalli Yusuf Alkali Gazali commended the center for always supporting the university.
