Recently, Professor Afam Icha Ituma was appointed as the Acting Vice Chancellor of Coal City University Enugu.
This follows the resignation of the pioneer Vice-Chancellor Professor Malachy Ukwueze to take up a position with the Enugu State Government.
Afam Icha-Ituma is a Professor of Human Resource Management and Dean Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State.
Professor Icha-Ituma has a solid record of achievement in senior leadership roles in higher education and has played a significant part in shaping the strategy, operations and culture of AE-FUNAI since the inception of the University.
He brings a compelling blend of national leadership and global perspective to the post having served AE-FUNAI as pioneer Director of Academic Planning, pioneer Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship and Employability, pioneer Director Centre for Internationalization, linkages and global ranking, pioneer Dean Faculty of Education and member of the University Governing Council.
He has served as chairman of many major committees in AE-FUNAI including University Strategic Planning Committee, Academic Programmes Review Committee and Committee on Productivity of Professors, Committee on Review of Guidelines for Appointment and Promotion of Academic Staff.
He has also been instrumental in driving through a number of key initiatives to enhance standards of student learning experience, academic processes of the University and strengthen the University’s performance. He initiated collaborative partnerships for the University, and successfully championed efforts to enhance the University national and international standing and ranking.
He has also been involved in many pedagogical developments throughout his career, implementing problem-based learning curricular, research-led teaching, inclusive learning approaches, creating learning communities, leading staff development programmes and participating in quality enhancement initiatives in a number of British and Nigerian Universities.
Speaking of the appointment, the Chancellor of Coal City University, Sir Chinedu Anih commented: “The board of Trustees of CCU look very much forward to working with Prof Icha-Ituma as the new Vice- Chancellor of CCU.
His appointment is a strong statement of our vision to be a world class institution.
He comes to CCU with significant international experience and demonstrated success as an institution-builder”.
Prof Chidi Onyia, the Chair SAB of CCU, Member Governing Council and BOT Member noted that “Professor Icha-Ituma’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor brings to CCU a person with a proven track record who has the necessary combination of experience, skills and capacity to lead the University at this important time in its history.
”I am confident that he will respond to the challenges ahead with creativity, innovation and determination. The Strategic Advisory Board and Governing Council look forward to working with him to realise the institution’s vision and objectives for the future”.
Commenting on his appointment, Prof Icha-Ituma said: “It is a privilege to be appointed Vice-Chancellor of Coal City University, the fastest rising young university in Nigeria.
” I am inspired by CCU’s mission, vision and values, and energised by its strong desire to offer students a world-class study experience.
“CCU is an institution that puts students first and transforms potential into success. We are going to continue to offer CCU students a transformative educational experience with global outlook, drive up research productivity, enhance community engagement and strengthen the University’s national and global impact and ranking. One of my priorities is to hire top scholars from all over the world, attract students from a global market of top talent and collaborate with leading Universities globally to achieve the vision of the University.
“I am very much looking forward to working with students, staff, and partners in the broader community as well as governments, to realise the great opportunities that lie ahead and to help guide the University aspiration to become a global force in higher education”.
Afam Icha-Ituma started his academic career in the United Kingdom as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Brunel University. He was later appointed Lecturer on completion of his PhD by Brunel University in 2005.
He was subsequently appointed Senior Lecturer at Bournemouth University and Academic Consultant at Mountbatten Institute.
Despite a significant administrative load, he has always been an active researcher. His research is characterized by a strong theoretical emphasis on the relationship between societal institutions, human resource management systems and outcomes.
It has a specific emphasis on how societal institutions shape career development systems and organisational productivity in non-Western context, particularly Nigeria.
He has published extensively in leading business & management journals on these research themes and is frequently invited as a keynote speaker at national and international conferences. He has also been the recipient of national and international grants.
He has vast international experience and has been a Visiting Research Fellow at Kingston Business School (UK), Visiting Fellow at the University of Leiden (Netherlands), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at the University of London (UK), Marie Skłodowska-Curie.
Research Fellow at the University of Lisbon (Portugal), Erasmus+ Visiting Professor at the University of Kent (UK) and Linnaeus-Palme academic visitor at the University of Gavle (Sweden).
Prof Icha-Ituma has served as external examiner at the University of Manchester, University of Northumbria, University of Wales and Pan-Atlantic University and professorial assessor at Nigeria Defense Academy, Pan-Atlantic University among others.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of many leading journals in his field, including Management and Organisation Review (published by Cambridge Press) and acts as a regular reviewer for many top tier journals in management and social sciences.
He is the founder of Research Scholars Forum, an inter-disciplinary research forum that aims to galvanise the vibrant but dispersed community of Nigerian scholars focusing on interdisciplinary dimensions related to sustainable organisational performance, economic growth and development of Nigeria.
The forum brings together a critical mass of leading Nigerian scholars based in academic institutions in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia to tackle national challenges and harness opportunities through scholarship and knowledge sharing. Prof Icha-Ituma earned his BSc in Mass Communication from ESUT (Nigeria), MBA from University of Leicester (UK), PhD in International Human Resource Management from Brunel University (UK) and Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from Brunel University (UK). He is a Fellow of UK Higher Education Academy.
He and his wife, Enuma Icha-Ituma, have one daughter and three sons. He was born and raised in Enugu where his late father served the state as the first Deputy Governor.
