The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is set to equip Nigeria with the skills and international networks needed not only to tackle public-health challenges but also to compete at the highest levels of global science.
The ASM announced in a statement to BusinessDay that it will host a Mentorship Week and Water Treatment Workshop at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), from November 25, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s scientific workforce and providing practical solutions to public-health challenges, particularly unsafe water.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with Robert Metcalf of the International Water and Health Alliance (IWHA) and the Opnat Creativity Renaissance & Empowerment Foundation (OCREF) is themed “Mentorship in Action: Advancing Microbial Science & Water Safety in Africa.”
According to the organisers, it is designed to equip young scientists not only with laboratory skills but also with entrepreneurial, leadership, and research capacities to compete globally.
AMS emphasised that the event is not just a conference but a catalyst for long-term impact: building research capacity, fostering international collaboration, and equipping a new generation of microbial scientists to address critical public-health challenges even beyond Nigeria.
The organisers further explained that that the workshop will focus on how Nigerian microbial scientists can become architects of clean-water solutions, combining research expertise with practical public-health impact.
Tamar Sachanelli, ASM Ambassador to Georgia and ASM Young Ambassador to Georgia, is expected to deliver a keynote examining the global relevance of Nigerian microbiologists.
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The workshop will feature experts including Chizoba Ozochi, an Environmental and Public Health expert, Chika Nwankwo of the University of Port Harcourt; A.C. Uchendu, an industrialist from Bayelsa State; Bright Uba of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU); Perpetual Emeagi-Uba, a patient safety professional and medical industrialist from the United Kingdom, and Kehinde Eniola, Vice Chancellor of Kogi State University Kabba, who will lead a session focused on converting laboratory curiosity into viable business ventures, demonstrating the intersection of scientific innovation and economic opportunity.
Other expected speakers are Charles Adetunji, Director of Research and Innovation at Edo State University Uzairue; Chijioke Nsofor, a grant and fellowship expert at FUTO; Dora Udoh, a medical and public-health microbiology researcher at the University of Uyo, Musau Wakabongo, CEO of Musau Education Initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 2025 ASM Mentorship Awardee, among several others.
