Ajagbe, Nigerian-American scholar, wins Global Heals Award

Akintunde Ajagbe, a Nigerian-American scholar, has won the Global Heal Awards for the 2023 Brilliance in Education Award in the United States.

Ajagbe, a professor, was nominated and subsequently conferred with the award at the inaugural ceremony of the organisation in Tampa, Florida, US.

In a letter of parameters evaluation signed by Sidhartha Kapil, the events manager, the organisation acknowledged the roles played by the awardee in the education sector and the lofty heights he has attained in academics, research, industry, and community development.

The chair and management of the evaluation team said they received a lot of outstanding applications in the build-up to the 2023 entry, making it difficult for the evaluation team to select the awardees for the Global Heal Awards.

The organisation said all nominees were adjudged on four parameters, namely: impact, innovation, scalability, and leadership. Upon final assessment, every candidate was rated on every criterion to reach the final list of awardees, following research and analysis, the organisers said.

“The HEAL Conference is attended by high achievers in the industry who are honoured for their efforts within and outside the industry. The platform also serves for networking and knowledge exchange among the selected group of delegates from successful organizations from different countries,” the organisers said.

The organisers added that the award, tagged “Brilliance in Education” award was in recognition of Ajagbe’s passion for quality education, research, and mentoring of scholars in journal articles, publications and community development.

“In his acceptance speech, Ajagbe enthused the audience by discussing the broken educational systems and the way forward. He also mentioned several factors that have contributed to the broken educational system, just as he dwelled more on how the introduction of technology in teaching and learning has impacted negatively on the education system. He also provided some solutions for educational policymakers, implementers and parents and guardians.” the statement reads.

WHO IS AKINTUNDE AJAGBE?

Akintunde Ajagbe bagged a PhD in technology management at one of Malaysia’s top five universities (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia). He has a cumulative work experience of about 26 years in industry and academia, both in Nigeria and abroad.

After his doctoral degree in 2014, he was appointed as an assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Covenant University, Nigeria. In 2016, he was headhunted as a senior lecturer at Ritman University, Nigeria, where he served as the head of the department of business management and director of the office of research and innovation.

Ajagbe also served as an adjunct professor with Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa; Gambia University, GTTI Republic of Gambia; ICT University, Cameroon; POMA International Business University, Republic of Benin; and currently with Rudolph Kwanue University as a professor of technology management.

Ajagbe has participated in academic conversations globally and has written over 100 articles published in international journals, conferences, book chapters, and a textbook. His scholarly publications have been cited about 2,500 times on Google Scholar by authors globally. Professor Ajagbe is an alumnus of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, USA, and also an alumnus of the Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland, USA.

He is currently the president of Maryland Publishing and Research Institute, Inc., USA. Among other editorial positions with several journals, Professor Ajagbe is a member of the editorial boards of North Central University, California, and the University of South Florida, both in the United States. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Catonsville, Maryland, USA.

Throughout his career as a research scholar and an entrepreneurial leader, he has inspired students and mentees in research and journal article writing and publication, including supporting young entrepreneurs in nurturing technology ventures to become independent companies.