PTDF Assures AFIT Of Greater Support In Research, Staff Development

PTDF Assures AFIT Of Greater Support In Research, Staff Development

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has assured the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) of its continued partnership and collaboration in areas of research and staff development, among others, in order to enhance technology in the country. This was disclosed when the Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Dr Aliyu Gusau, paid a courtesy call on the Commandant AFIT, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Cletus Udeagulu, at Headquarters AFIT on 20 December 2018. The Executive Secretary expressed willingness to support AFIT in areas of Research and Development (R&D), Training and Staff Development, Improvement of the Institute’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilitates as well as Scholarship for AFIT’s undergraduates, amongst others.

The PTDF Team was conducted on a tour of AFIT facilities, where the Executive Secretary expressed satisfaction with efforts of the Institute to promote technology and innovation. Dr Gusau stated that the visit had further strengthened his resolve to immediately upgrade the level of collaboration between PTDF and AFIT for the development of the nation. He recalled that, based on the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the 2 organizations, the PTDF had sponsored the training of some AFIT staff for their Masters and Doctorate degree programmes. He said there was urgent need to renew and upgrade the terms of the MOU to formalize the additional support that would be provided to enable AFIT sustain the good work it was doing.

While responding, the Commandant AFIT thanked the Executive Secretary and his team for their visit to the Institute. He also appreciated PTDF for its willingness to help achieve the vision to transform AFIT into a world class learning Institute for aerospace and defence engineering. He pointed out that the Institute could support the oil and gas industry through the use of locally made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Hexacopter and other R&D products for surveillance and monitoring of activities and hazards in the oil and gas sector.