Step-B Complex, Bosso Campus, Minna
Office Hours:
8:00am – 4:00pm (Mon-Fri)
Center Number
INTRODUCTION
The increase in food production in Africa has not been able to address the problem of malnutrition and food insecurity. About half of African population are living below the poverty line and suffers from chronic hunger and malnourishment due to inadequate food supply and contamination by food borne diseases. This threat is more in West and Central Africa. The threat on food by mycotoxins has been a major constraint to food security leading to losses in crops yield, human productivity and various health challenges on man. Other threats, such as salmonellosis, entero-haemorrhagic, hepatitis A, acute and chronic aflatoxicosis, cholera, heavy metal poisoning, antibiotic resistance arising from improper use of veterinary drugs, chronic pesticide and industrial chemical residue exposure, need urgent attention. These pervasive problems require transformative science, engineering and policy solutions brought about by a knowledgeable workforce. The PhD programme in Food Safety will come up with learning opportunities and research results that will address Africa’s shortage of expertise and ensure that applicable solutions for safe, controlled and sufficient food supply that will support economic growth and public health are established. The intervention strategies include development of early warning systems, fit-for-purpose good agricultural and food processing codes of practice, drought, pest and mycotoxin resistant cultivars, phytofungicides, bio-competitively eliminating mycotoxin producing antifungi at the farm using nanobased mycotoxin feed binder and detoxifiers, and portable detection systems to ensure food security in West and Central Africa sub- region.
PHILOSOPHY
PhD in Food Safety is a full time programme designed by the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety for the purpose of encouraging cross-border collaboration to provide relevant human and material resources for the effective training of high-level independent minded, self-reliant and competent researchers and qualified personnels that will provide critical skills for effective food management system. It will also provide the skills that will adequately address the research and training needs of the region, to conduct regional survey of food borne pathogens and toxic chemical residues, assess their health and economic impacts and consequently set appropriate national and regional standards for effective prevention and control. It will also provide laboratory infrastructure of International standard for effective food control system to generate occurrence data, formulate and effectively enforce standards, account for the deplorable food safety situation of the Continent.
VISION
To produce skilled manpower with quality education and training in the use of modern functional equipment and innovative research for assessing impacts of food borne pathogens and toxic chemical residues on the health and economy of West and Central Africa Sub-region and consequently set appropriate national and regional standards for effective prevention and control of food borne pathogens and toxic chemicals that can guide policy formulation across the African region.
MISSION
To train skilled and innovative work-force that will transform Africa’s Natural Resources into goods and services, driven by entrepreneurship and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to positively affect the economy and thus the quality of life of her people.
AIM: To train Food Safety graduates that will impact better food and feed safety culture and ensure safer foods for healthy living across Africa.
OBJECTIVES:
It will be carried out through the following broad themes:
(a) To acquire knowledge required to create an interdisciplinary, experimential education model that will prepare students on the rapidly emerging need for innovations at the nexus of food security, food safety, agricultural productivity and economics from local to global scales.
(b) To acquire skills and innovative ideas that would transform Africa’s natural resources into goods and services, driven by entrepreneurship and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to positively affect the economy and thus the quality of life of her people.
(c) To be able to foster impactful interdisciplinary research and implement solutions that will improve the quality of life of Africans through fit-for-purpose interventions fostering economic growth and access to sufficient safe food for all.
(d) To be able to address Africa’s shortage of expertise and applicable solutions to ensure a safe, controlled and sufficient food supply that will support economic growth and public health.
Specific objectives are as follows:
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admission into the PhD programme is TWICE a year (ie at the beginning of new academic session and commencement of second semester of every academic session).
Candidate for admission to the PhD programme in Food Safety of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety shall have the following requirements:
Note:
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
To be awarded a PhD degree in Food safety, a student is expected to have satisfied the following conditions:
DURATION
The duration for the programme are:
Full-time Minimum 6 Semesters or 36 months
Maximum 10 Semesters or 60 months
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
The PhD in Food safety will be based purely on research, except for those candidates that were recommended to audit courses.
.CAREER/JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Doctoral degree holders in Food Safety have job opportunities in Agriculture and Food industries, regulatory organizations, Standards bureau/organizations, National Drug Administration and Food Control, Quarantine services, Veterinary Centres, Hospitals, Food and Chemical Industries and lots more.
INTRODUCTION
This programme will balance the molecular biology, engineering, computing and modeling necessary for career in food safety and security. It connects research with application and integrates molecular genetics that explains the information in the gene expressed that give rise to abnormalities traits in an organism. .Modern molecular biology depends on computational data analysis refers to as Bioinformatics. The emphasis will be placed on the genetic mechanisms underlying diseases, mapping and diagnosis such as salmonellosis, entero-haemorrhagic, hepatitis A, acute and chronic aflatoxicosis, cholera, heavy metal poisoning, and the threat of antibiotic resistance arising from improper use of veterinary drugs, and chronic pesticide and industrial chemical residue exposure. This programme combines concepts and techniques of molecular biology with hands on bioinformatics as a necessary skill gap career to address Africa’s shortage of expertise and applicable solutions to ensure a safe, controlled and sufficient food supply that will support economic growth and public health. Also, the centre focus on training in innovation process, entrepreneurship and commercialization of biotechnology products. The knowledge and skills gain from this programme open doors to employment within many sectors in industry, academia and agencies concerned with patent and legal issues, education or research funding.
PHILOSOPHY
The graduate program (M.Tech) in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics is a full time designed by the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety for the purpose of advanced research based education with the goal of encouraging cross-border collaboration for the effective training of high-level independent minded, self-reliant and competent researchers that is capable of providing critical skills in effective food system
VISION
To be the leading Centre recognized nationally and internationally for teaching and research to produce leaders with capacity in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics in Sub-Africa that will solve the development challenges confronting Africa in the area of food safety and security.
MISSION
To restore quality education and training in innovative research that address food safety and security for improve well-being and economy of West and Central Africa Sub-region.
AIM: To provide educational and research training to postgraduate students to produce new generation African scientists as workforce for addressing mycotoxin problem for safer food and sustainable and secure health as well as wellbeing of Humanity.
OBJECTIVES: It will be carried out through the following broad themes:
Specific objectives are as follows:
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admission into the PhD programme is TWICE a year (ie at the beginning of new academic session and commencement of second semester of every academic session).
Candidate for admission to the PhD programme in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety shall have the following requirements:
Note:
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Doctoral Programme
To be awarded a PhD degree in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, a candidate is expected to satisfy the following conditions before graduation;
Registration and Duration
PhD candidates will be required to register as full time at the beginning of any semester.
Full-time Full-time Minimum 6 Semesters or 36 months
Maximum 10 Semesters or 60 months
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
The PhD in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics will be based purely on research, except for those candidates that were recommended to audit courses.
CAREER/JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Doctoral degree holders in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics have job opportunities in Agriculture and Food industries and regulatory organizations ; Standards bureau/organizations, National drug administration and food control, Quarantine services, Veterinary Centres, Hospitals, Food and Chemical Industries and as Bioinformatician, Drug Discovery scientist, Molecular Mycologist, Data Scientist, Computational Scientist, Modeling expert, Nanotechnologist, Food borne infection control expert, Biochemistry Food industry, Animal feed Quarantine Institution, Universities, Research Institute.
INTRODUCTION
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology and medicine,that involve the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants. The chemical toxicants include inorganic substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hydrofluoric acid, chlorine gas and organic compounds such as methyl alcohol, most medications and poisons from living things.
The Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety intends to train toxicologist in the areas of analytical toxicology, applied toxicology, clinical toxicology, veterinary toxicology, forensic toxicology, environmental toxicology, and industrial toxicology. These toxicologists will have expertise to investigate, interpret, and communicate the nature and the adverse effects of the toxicants, thereby providing the necessary basis for protection measures. In doing these, toxic genomics that involves applying molecular profiling approaches to the study of toxicology would be employed.
The toxicology course would help in the development of new effective and safe chemicals monitor the effect of chemicals on environment, ensures that food and water are free from chemical and microbial contamination and safe for consumption. It will also assist in the diagnosis and treatment of chemical poisoning in humans and animals, provides specialized expert opinion in legal cases where medicines, food borne pathogens/poisons, drugs of abuse may be implicated, provide guidance for the safe use of chemicals in farms/farm produce and the ecosystems.
PHILOSOPHY
PhD Toxicology is a full time programme designed by the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety for the purpose of encouraging cross-border collaboration to provide relevant human and material resources for the effective training of high-level independent minded, self-reliant and competent researchers that is capable of providing critical skills in effective food system. Postgraduate programme in food safety, food toxicology and molecular biology will also provide the skills that will adequately address the research and training needs to conduct regional survey of food borne pathogens and toxic chemical residues, assess their health and economic impacts and consequently set appropriate national and regional standards for effective prevention and control.
VISION
To produce skilled Man power with quality education and training in the use of modern functional equipment and innovative research for assessing impacts of food borne pathogens and toxic chemical residues on the health and economic West and Central Africa Sub-region and consequently set appropriate national and regional standards for effective prevention and control of food poison that can guide policy formulation across the Africa region.
MISSION
To integrate the three components of the knowledge triangle – education, research and innovation – to solve the development challenges confronting Africa by creating enabling environment comprising of modern functional equipment and adequately motivated manpower to achieve quality Education, Research and Development in Food Toxicology and Safety.
AIM
The aim of the program is to expose students to an in depth knowledge of toxicology, mechanisms of toxicants, effects on living systems, effects on environment, detection, prevention and control.
OBJECTIVES: It will be carried out through the following broad themes:
Specific objectives are as follows:
PROGRAM NAME: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) IN TOXICOLOGY
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admission into the PhD programme is TWICE a year (ie at the beginning of new academic session and commencement of second semester of every academic session).
Candidate for admission to the PhD programme in Toxicology of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety shall have the following requirements:
Note:
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Doctoral Programme
To be awarded a PhD degree in Toxicology, a candidate is expected to satisfy the following conditions before graduation;
Registration and Duration
PhD candidates will be required to register as full time at the beginning of any semester.
Full-time 6 Semesters 36 months as minimum
10 Semesters 60 months as maximum
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
The PhD Programme in Toxicology will be based purely on research, except for those candidates that were recommended to audit courses.
CAREER/JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Doctoral degree holders in Toxicology have job opportunities in Standards bureau/organizations, National drug administration and food control, Quarantine services, Veterinary Centres, Hospitals, Food and Chemical Industries and lots more.