Baku, July 3, AZERTAC

Based on the collaboration between Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) seven Nigerian students will study Petroleum Engineering at BHOS during the academic years 2019/2023. The education of the students will be covered by the UN scholarship allocated within the framework of Capacity Building in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector Project, which was discussed by Elmar Gasimov, Rector of BHOS during his meeting with Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR and Vagif Sagidov, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva.

Nikhil Seth expressed his contentment with the collaboration with BHOS, the school which he considered to be a leading one among the higher education institutions offering engineering programmes. He noted that the quality of education the School offers, as well as its highly qualified faculty and the internship opportunities provided for students by the partner international companies will play a significant role for developing the Nigerian students as future professionals. Forwarding the initiative of involving students from the oil-rich countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, Seth discussed the educational prospects of such an initiative with the School management.

BHOS Rector Gasimov hailed the initiative and underlined that Azerbaijani government supports various social projects implemented by UN and that BHOS is committed to collaboration in this field. The Rector noted that apart from offering the curriculum of Heriot-Watt University, the School also provides internship opportunities for its students at the leading companies in the sector. Adding that the dormitory and sports complexes available at the campus offer quite favourable conditions for the students based on international standards, BHOS can afford admitting international students from any country of the world.

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Vagif Sagidov said that this project implemented by BHOS is of great significance for both Azerbaijan and UNITAR including the participating countries. He also drew attention to the idea of increasing the number of scholarships to be awarded to international students underlining its importance from a strategic viewpoint.

After discussing the programme details, the sides reached an agreement and took a group photo.

The Nigerian students will study at BHOS based on the provisions of the MoU signed between the Higher School and UNITAR. The objective of the MoU is to provide study opportunities for the Nigerian students in Petroleum Engineering programme while fostering their development as experts for the benefit of Nigeria’s oil sector. The provisions of the MoU also envisage implementation of joint projects, organization of workshops as well as analysis of the areas of mutual interest and other joint initiatives.