©COOUNewS Editorial!
Following the Capacity Building Workshop held on 5th November 2025 to mark the take-off of the Nigerian DESIRED Research Grant Project with teams from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), the commencement meeting for the European Union-funded DESIRED Project at COOU took place on Wednesday, 25th November 2025 at the Marketing Department Lecture Hall, Faculty of Management Sciences Complex, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam Campus, Anambra State.
The gathering brought together academic staff of the Accountancy and Finance Departments, student leaders of both departments, and members of the COOU EU-DESIRED Research Team. The Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Prof. Ogochukwu Nwangene thanked the purposeful leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kate Azuka Omenugha, whose 3Vs Agenda of Values, Viability, and Visibility has opened doors for international collaboration and placed COOU on the EU Erasmus+ platform.
The meeting began with a welcome address by the COOU Research Team Leader, Dr Chukwunonso Ekesiobi describing the grant as a historic step in the University’s journey towards global visibility and academic excellence. He emphasised that the success of the DESIRED Project will depend on teamwork involving staff and students of the Accountancy and Finance Departments, the private sector, accounting professionals, and international collaborators.
Subsequently, a detailed presentation on the project titled “Enhancing Employability of Accounting Graduates,” was given by a member of the Research Team, Dr Bernard Alajekwu. He explained that the DESIRED Project, formally seeks to address the gap between classroom learning and the practical skills required in the workplace. The project will focus on updating the accounting curriculum to include modern, industry-relevant content; introducing teaching methods that emphasise case studies, simulations, and hands-on learning; and improving the soft skills and practical readiness of students. He noted that the project will benefit more than 3,000 students and staff across participating institutions in Nigeria and Uganda and will include baseline and end-line research to measure its overall impact.
The meeting also discussed plans for an upcoming Accounting Students Symposium being organised by the COOU Chapter of the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students Association (NUASA) as well as their Banking and Finance Counterparts. The Research Team welcomed the symposium as the first major public event through which the DESIRED Project will be introduced to students. The meeting agreed that the symposium would allow students to understand the opportunities the project offers, share their views on the skills they need, and interact with employers, professional bodies such as ICAN and ANAN, and prominent alumni. With the symposium scheduled to hold in the coming weeks, the Research Team expressed readiness to support the programme fully and ensure the inclusion of relevant industry speakers and partners.
Attention then shifted to short-term activities that will begin soon under the project. These include a structured Industry Mentoring Programme that will pair experienced accounting professionals with students, as well as an improved internship arrangement designed to replace passive learning with practical, experience-based training. Several staff members, including Dr Nkechi Offor (Accounting Department) and Dr Lawrence Okoye (Banking & Finance Department) commended these efforts and noted that they align with the new NUC standards that place strong emphasis on industrial exposure. At this stage, the Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Ogochukwu Nwangene, also expressed full support for the project and highlighted its importance to the growth and development of the Faculty.
The meeting ended with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Dr Cosmas Nwankwo, the third member of the COOU research team, who expressed deep appreciation on behalf of the University and acknowledged the Vice-Chancellor as the driving force behind COOU’s entry into the EU Erasmus+ platform. He thanked the European Union for the grant, the University Administration for its encouragement, and the Research Team for giving their best to the project. He reaffirmed the COOU Team’s commitment to implementing the grant responsibly and making it a model for accounting education reform in Nigeria. The meeting concluded with a strong sense of optimism and shared commitment to the successful execution of the DESIRED Project
©COOUNewS 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1TjqUqXWes/
