… 30 final-year medical students to benefit from clinical preparedness, leadership training
Written By Rashidat O. Okunlade | Lagos
The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) has launched a Health Innovation Series at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), targeting 30 medical students completing their Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme.
The health series, a new initiative from ASR Africa for medical students, is designed to strengthen clinical preparedness, medical career development, leadership, innovation and provide global exposure for young doctors and other emerging health professionals across Africa.
A Pilot With Purpose
Commencing the pilot at the university, the programme incorporates practical conversations with experienced professionals and explores new technology and innovations that help participants navigate early career transitions, make informed professional choices and contribute to stronger health systems.
‘An Added Value to the University’
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Mele, who was represented by the Director-General of the ASR Africa Innovation Centre & Entrepreneurship (ASR-ICE), Prof. Muhammad Dauda, commended the Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for the donation of the ASR-ICE building, which has attracted other partnerships, making the Centre functional, value-adding and of great benefit to the university community.
“This health innovation series is an added value to the university from ASR Africa. Therefore, the medical students must reflect and ensure that the benefits of the series are harnessed for the betterment of your medical career and positive impact on the lives of your patients,” he said.
‘Leapfrogging Limitations’
The ASR Multilateral Coordination Specialist at ASR Africa, Nakama Keri, representing the MD/CEO of ASR Africa, Dr. Ubon Udoh, hinged the successful take-off of the series on the collaborative relationship between the university and ASR Africa.
“This series is engineered to help outgoing medical students leapfrog past limitations hindering health practitioners from reaching their full potential early, and connect them with current medical technological realities,” Nakama noted.
According to him, strengthening healthcare through innovative approaches is central to ASR Africa’s Health initiatives and, by extension, the vision of the Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu.
‘A Strategic Investment in Human Capital’
The Acting Chief Medical Director of the UNIMAID Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Aboso, summarised the series as a strategic investment in human capital development.
“I believe that this series will be a catalyst towards raising a new generation of medical professionals, who are better exposed, informed, and prepared,” he said.
A Call to Serve Borno State
In his speech, the Borno State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof. Baba Malla Gana, who represented the Borno State Governor at the event, concluded that the series can be a game-changer in professional medical careers. He encouraged the medical students to stay in the state and offer their medical services to promote better local healthcare access for the people.
Keynote Address: ‘Resilience, Determination, Focus’
The highlight of the event was the keynote address delivered by Prof. Adamu Rabasa, a pioneer 1983 medical graduate at the University of Maiduguri and currently a Professor of Pediatrics at the University.
He challenged the medical students to be resilient, determined and remain focused on maximising the benefits of current medical technology in healthcare delivery through innovative medical approaches. Using his personal medical career journey, entrepreneurial successes and legacy in the medical field, he encouraged the students to pursue professional excellence in their respective fields.
Among other dignitaries at the opening ceremony were the Provost of the College of Medicine, Prof. Hamman Garandawa; the Executive Secretary of the Borno State Primary Healthcare Board, Prof. Mohammed Arab Alhaji; the university management; and college faculties.
What To Know About ASR Africa
The brainchild of African industrialist, philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based, homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting Health, Education and Social Development within Africa.
Why It Matters
The launch of the Health Innovation Series at UNIMAID is significant for several reasons not least because of its location.
Borno State has borne the brunt of Nigeria’s insurgency crisis for over a decade. Its healthcare system has been stretched to breaking point, with many health workers killed, displaced or relocated to safer parts of the country. The prospect of retaining newly trained medical graduates in the state is therefore not merely a matter of career development, it is a question of survival for the local health system.
The Commissioner’s appeal to the students to stay and serve Borno underscores this reality. Nigeria loses thousands of doctors to emigration annually, and the North-East with its security challenges and infrastructure deficits struggles more than most to attract and retain medical talent.
ASR Africa’s intervention addresses this challenge from multiple angles. By equipping final-year students with clinical preparedness, leadership skills and exposure to innovation, the programme seeks to make them more effective practitioners from day one. By connecting them with experienced professionals and global networks, it aims to counter the professional isolation that often drives doctors to leave.
The involvement of Prof. Adamu Rabasa, a 1983 graduate of the same institution offers a powerful counter-narrative: that excellence and impact are possible without leaving home. His personal journey from UNIMAID student to professor and entrepreneur models a path that current students can aspire to follow.
The programme’s emphasis on innovation is also timely. Nigeria’s healthcare sector faces enormous challenges, but emerging technologies from telemedicine and AI-assisted diagnostics to mobile health platforms offer tools that previous generations did not have. Equipping young doctors to harness these tools could accelerate progress in ways that were previously unimaginable.
For ASR Africa, the Health Innovation Series represents an expansion of its mandate from infrastructure and scholarships to hands-on capacity building. The pilot at UNIMAID will be watched closely as a potential model for other African universities.
The ultimate measure of success will not be the number of students who attend the opening ceremony, but the number who remain in Borno, innovate in their practice and contribute to a stronger health system. On that score, the series has planted a seed. Whether it flourishes will depend on sustained investment and on the resilience of the young doctors it seeks to empower.
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