Immediate Past President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Oyewale Tomori has been elected as the Bureau chairman of the West African Network of the National Academies of Sciences (WANNAS).
Prof. Tomori, Oyewale Tomori is a professor of virology, educational administrator, and former vice chancellor of Redeemer’s University was elected during the three- day Constitutive General Assembly of WANNAS held in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Others elected as officials of the WANNAS Bureau were Senegal’s Professor Moctar Touré, as 1st vice chairman; while Ghana’s Professor Benjamin Ahunu, was elected 2nd vice chairman.
Professor Makalé Traoré of Guinea was elected 3rd vice chairman, Professor Crépin Bipene of Ivory Coast emerged as bureau secretary-general, Burkina Faso’s Prof. Pare Afsita, was elected as treasurer.
The general assembly also elected Professor Holo Théodore of Benin and Prof. Gumedzoé Mawuena of Togo as co-authors.
In an interview with reporters afterwards, Professor Tomori outlined the group’s main objective, saying it is to begin to bring scientific solutions to challenges of insecurity, food shortage and other development issues currently affecting the region.
“These areas of priority and concern for the intervention of science and innovation in the region- health, agriculture and security will help to improve the lives of the citizens and make them even more productive,” the WANNAS chair said.
“We will be working together as a region, learning from each other, some countries have solved their problems, others have not, we are going to work together as a region,” he said.
Tomori served as the regional Virologist for the World Health Organisation Africa Region from 1994 to 2004 before he was appointed as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Redeemers University in Ogun State, South West Nigeria, a tenure that ended in 2011.
