|
 Background to ARCIS
The idea of a school of information science
for English-speaking African countries was conceived at UNESCO in 1973, revived at
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in 1980, and successfully sold
to the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Universities, held in Hong Kong, in March 1981.
In January 1983, a four-man Team of Experts visited many African
universities in order to recommend to UNESCO and IDRC the best location for the proposed
school. The outcome of this mission was the recommendation to establish two such schools,
one at the University of Ibadan for the West African Sub-Region and the other at Addis
Ababa University for East and Southern Africa. The one proposed for the University of
Ibadan was named Africa Regional Centre for Information Science (ARCIS).
Between 26 October and 2 November, 1984, a Curriculum Design Experts
Group met at the University of Ibadan to fashion a curriculum for
ARCIS. After many more
years of gestation, ARCIS finally became operational in November 1990. A
detailed organizational
brief on ARCIS is available here.
 to
p
of page
Objectives
ARCIS addresses, simultaneously, a series of
African development problems that have demonstrable information services components, with
a view to providing both short-and long-term solutions to them.
More specifically, ARCIS
(a) trains and retrains high-level personnel for African
organisations in information
science, essentially through seminars, workshops and higher degree
programmes. The
products of our academic programmes will constitute leaders in the practice of information
science, as well as become trainers of information services personnel at lower levels;
(b) engages in problem-resolution research into all aspects of
information technology and services in Africa;
(c) serves as a reservoir for consultants in information science to
African Governments and institutions, both in the public and private sectors;
(d) provides necessary expertise in the development and utilization of
databanks, databases, and information systems for the socio-economic development of Africa
as a whole and ECOWAS Member States in particular; and
(e) inculcates the spirit of service in all academic and technical
staff of ARCIS, especially in regard to the information services components of Research
and Development (R&D) programmes in Africa.
top
of page
ARCIS at the University of
Ibadan
The Africa Regional Centre for Information
Science (ARCIS) is currently located at Number 6, Benue Road, adjacent to the premises of
the Faculty of Education at the University of Ibadan. The University of
Ibadan, Nigeria's
first and only university until 1960, was founded in 1948 as a College of the University
of London. Over the years, the University has been playing a major role as the premier
university of Nigeria in manpower development, especially in postgraduate training. The
University now comprises the College of Medicine; the Faculties of Arts, Science,
Agriculture and Forestry, the Social Sciences, Education, Veterinary Medicine, Technology,
and Law; and the Postgraduate School, which has the status of a Faculty. During the
1995/96 session, the population of full-time students stood at 18,127. Of this number,
3,386 were in postgraduate programmes.
The University is responding positively within the limits of its
resources to the growing demand for higher degree graduates to meet the staffing
requirements in more than 50 Nigerian universities and in other sectors of the economy. A distinct
feature of postgraduate training at the University has been the introduction of
professional programmes. The Master of Information Science programme, offered by
ARCIS, is
one of such programmes. It is also an academic programme, providing scholarly preparation
for students to proceed to doctoral studies.
top
of page
Status and Structure
ARCIS is an institute in the University of
Ibadan.
According to its enabling statute, the administrative and academic head of ARCIS is
normally a professor of information science, who is designated Director, and
who is appointed by the University of Ibadan, after due consultation with the
International Consultative Committee on ARCIS, as well as the donor agencies expected to
provide major financial and technical backing for the Centre. There is
provision for both the Board of ARCIS and the Academic Board of ARCIS.
The Board of ARCIS is
responsible for formulating policies for ARCIS while the Academic Board of ARCIS
is responsible for presenting the academic programmes of ARCIS through the Postgraduate
School to the Senate of the University of
Ibadan. Its membership comprises the senior academic
staff of ARCIS and other members from within and outside the University, as
approved from time to time by the University Senate.
The International Consultative Committee on ARCIS, is
expected to bring together representatives of all English-speaking West African countries,
as well as international and regional agencies that would be asked to contribute students,
staff, funds, materials and goodwill to the success of ARCIS programmes. The Committee was
to meet periodically to: (a) review the service and non-degree programmes of
ARCIS; (b)
advise on how best African Governments and agencies can benefit from ARCIS
programmes; and
(c) make regular reports, through the Vice-Chancellor, to the Council of the University of
Ibadan.
top
of page
Facilities
Temporary accommodation has been provided for
ARCIS in an exclusive, 24-room building. The building houses the library, information
technology laboratories, seminar and demonstration rooms, lecture rooms, general
administrative and staff offices. The construction of a new building complex was conceived
as far back as 1991, and it is one of the planned projects at ARCIS for which assistance from
international donor agencies is being sought.
ARCIS is a founding member of the Consortium of
African Schools of Information Science (CASIS), as well as a member of a worldwide network
of select Schools of Library and Information Science (SLISNET).
The staff and students of ARCIS, as well as visiting fellows, are also
entitled to the use of other University facilities such as the central library, health
centre, central computing facilities, sports and recreational facilities, among others.
Foreign students are given priority in the provision of accommodation on the university
campus.
top
of page
ARCIS Programmes
The programmes of ARCIS comprise four
complementary components as follows:
top
of page
Higher Degrees
The Centre runs the following higher degree
programmes:
Master of Information Science
(MInfSc) degree
programme by course work,
Master of Philosophy
(MPhil) degree
programme by research, and
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree
programme by research.
ARCIS provides human
resources training up to the doctorate level to meet Africa's
developmental initiatives that depend on information technology and efficient management
of information. The Master of Information Science Programme imparts skills in organization
and management of information, development of information systems, information
technologies, communication and utilization of information, as well as quantitative and
research capabilities.
By the end of the 2001/2002 session, ARCIS had turned
out
a total of about 400 graduates from the master's programme, most of whom are making remarkable
impact in various organizations, including banks, oil companies, management consultancy
firms, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, government ministries and
government parastatals in Nigeria and other African countries.
top
of page
Seminars and
Workshops
Considerable success has also been achieved
in fulfilling the mandate of ARCIS in the retraining of personnel in information systems
management and use of information technology through regular workshops for participants from various government
parastatals and multinational corporations in Nigeria as well as for staff and
students of the University of Ibadan. ARCIS is expected to mount such
workshops in other countries in West Africa. Multi- and bilateral donor
funds are needed for subsidizing such regional
workshops.
top
of page
Research
The staff of ARCIS are engaged in individual
and multi-disciplinary research efforts, aimed at advancing the frontiers of knowledge in
information science and providing solutions to practical problems of information
management and services in Africa. At the moment, the following areas are covered:
Scholarly Communication and Informetrics
Bibliographic and structural analysis of the literature,
information needs and use, communication patterns and information flows, information
sources, systems and services, simulation and modelling;
Information Technology
Computer applications, office information systems, organizational
and societal issues;
top
of page
Systems Development
Systems analysis and design, software engineering, human/computer
interface development, problems of innovation, system testing and evaluation, as well as
business re-engineering;
Information Resource Management
Organization of information and data sources, information and
documentation services, and management of information systems and services;
Policy and Economic Issues
Policy issues on information, use of information technology,
information technology transfer, telecommunications; and economic issues that are
pertinent to information as a vital resource.
Indigenous Knowledge
Management
Development of local content
products, development and codification of indigenous
knowledge, natural language processing of local languages,
and so on.
top
of page
Consultancy
ARCIS undertakes consultancy services in
information systems development, use of modern information technology, information
management and dissemination, and information policy formulation. Specifically,
consultancy services are available in the areas of staff research outlined above. Some
major projects have already been executed for various organizations.
The staff of ARCIS have developed software packages that are used in
and outside the Centre. ARCIS also has an important role in the development of the
Management Information System (MIS), as well as other information systems initiatives of
the University of Ibadan.
top
of page
Staff
ARCIS is serviced by
three cadres of staff, namely; academic, technical, and support
staff. Appointments and promotions in each category are made through the normal
channels already established at the University of Ibadan. Qualified Africans are
encouraged to take up academic and technical positions at ARCIS. The status and conditions
of service of each category of staff are clearly spelt out in the relevant documents
available at the University of Ibadan.
top
of page
Students
ARCIS students come mainly from West Africa.
All the non-Nigerian students admitted up to the 1995/96 session benefitted from the
bursary scheme that was funded by the International Development Research Centre
(IDRC) of
Canada as part of its grants to ARCIS. Although ARCIS would like to continue to provide
financial assistance to students, the availability of such assistance depends on the
financial support of funding agencies.
ARCIS Students Association (ARCISSTA) is the association of all the students of the
Centre. Membership of ARCISSTA is both automatic and compulsory for every student of the
Centre. The executives of the association sees to the welfare of the students and the
Centre through organisation of programmes and projects. One of the
activities organised by the Association on an annual basis is the Infoweek
which features among other programmes, a symposium led by information
technology, systems and services personalities in the Nigeria Economy.
ARCIS
Alumni
Association (AAA) is the association of graduates of the higher degree
programmes of ARCIS. The Association was formally inaugurated in November
2003 during which the Executive committee led by Mrs. Mobolanle Adekoya
(ARCIS graduate 2001) was elected.
top
of page
|
Background
to ARCIS