The Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University has approved the appointment of Prof. Adamu Ahmed as the new Vice-Chancellor.
The appointment is with effect from 1″ May, 2025 for one term period of five (5) years.
A letter, conveying the approvement dated 5 February, 2025 and signed by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, CFR, explained that the Council approved the appointment at its 209″ Special Meeting held on Wednesday, 5ª February, 2025.
In the letter, which was copied to all the principal officers and some Heads of Unit of the University, Yayale described Prof. Ahmed’s appointment as “well-deserved” and congratulated him on clinching the plum university job.
Prof. Ahmed, who teaches at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was born on 2 April, 1964. He is currently the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the Federal University of Education, Kano.
Prof. Ahmed obtained BSc Geography, 1985; MSc Urban and Regional Planning, 1990; and PhD Urban and Regional Planning, 2000 all from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Additionally, he got an Advanced Certificate in Real Estate Development and Finance from Urban Land Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA in 2006.
Ahmed joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become a professor of urban and regional planning in 2012. He was at different times. Director, Directorate of University Advancement; Coordinator/Director, Centre for Spatial Information Science (CSIS); and Head, Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
Between 2019 and 2021, Prof. Ahmed was Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Lands and Survey, Bauchi State. At the international level, he has been the Coordinator/Director, United Nations’ University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) Nagoya, Japan-Regional Centre for Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development since 2013 to date.
The new appointee is a seasoned academic leader and systems thinker with a proven track record of hard work, multitasking and transformative leadership in education and urban planning. When he was the Head of Department of Urban and Regional Planning, he led curriculum reforms, and established the Centre for Spatial Information Science (CSIS). which hosts the United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development, and the DFID-Nigerian Resilient Cities Network (NRCN).
Besides attracting several local and international research grants, Prof. Ahmed also spearheaded ABU’s achievement as the Best Planning School Award in Nigeria (2012) and led Nigeria’s most comprehensive Joint-Double Degree/Exchange Programme in Transportation Engineering with Central South University (CSU), China, securing full external funding, staff fellowships, and grants for more than 90 students and staff.
As Director of the institution’s Directorate of University Advancement, Prof. Ahmed participated and later coordinated grant sourcing applications for three World Bank Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) programmes at the University worth over $8 million.
He also managed collaborations with Dangote Foundation, NNPC, and CCECC leading to establishment of a student hostel, an Inland Basin Research Centre, and Chinese Language Laboratory. His endowment programme designed for the University, worth over N5 billon in annual giving, was meant to strengthen alumni engagement and sustainable funding.
He is Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Registered Town Planner, and Board of Trustees Member, Nigerian Resilient Cities Network (NRCN). He is also the recipient of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NTIP) -President’s Award for Meritorious Service to the Town Planning Profession (2010), Town Planners Registration Council Best Planning School/Head of Department in Nigeria Award (2012) and Chinese Ambassador’s Award-October 1″ Prize for Promotion of China Nigeria Friendship and Collaboration (2019).
Prof. Ahmed attended a total of 29 local and international conferences in addition to 23 academic publications in peer reviewed journals and 34 conference papers all to his credit.
