On 2nd April 2024, the ERP Technology Transfer Project between Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) and Lakeside University College Ghana (LUCG), was launched. This reverse linkage project under the south-south cooperation framework is financed by Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), with a grant of USD 54,000. The project involves the acquisition of IUIU’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System and customizing it fully, to the business process automation needs of LUCG. The launch took place physically at LUCG in Ghana and was virtually attended by both IsDB and IUIU representatives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Uganda, respectively. The IUIU ERP Team including; the ERP Manager, Mr. Sekalema Hamza, and Software Engineers, Mr Mpiima Moud and Mr Semakula Isa, attended the launch physically at LUCG in Ghana, where they are currently engaged in various project initiation activities.
From IUIU, the launch was attended by IUIU’s top leadership including; the Rector of IUIU, Professor Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda, the Vice-Rector, Academic Affairs, Dr Jamil Serwanga, the Academic Registrar, and Dr Halima Akbar Wakabi. Other members of staff present included; Dr Umar Yahya, Senior Lecturer, Computer Science and the Coordinator of this Reverse Linkage Project; Dr Hatim El-Amin, Ag. Director Endowment; Mr. Dragule Swaib, Lecturer Computer Science; Mr. Saim Celik, Ag. Director Centre for Capacity Development; and Ms. Zamzam Ahmed, Senior Administrator Office of the Rector. The IsDB was represented by; Mr Abdelhakim Yessuf, Manager Special Assistance Division; Mr Abdirashid Warsame, Country Manager – Special Assistance Division; and several other members of the Scholarship and Community Outreach Programs at the Special Assistance Division of IsDB. LUCG was represented by various members of the Senior Management & Council, including: – The Chair of the Governing Council, Hajj Salem Kalmoni, who was also the Chief Guest at the Launch Ceremony; and Dr. Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, the President of LUCG.
The launched reverse linkage project has three main components; ERP Technology Transfer, ERP Customization, and Human Capacity Development, all covered within the IsDB-provided grant of USD 54,000 (Fifty-Four Thousand USD only). LUCG will be acquiring IUIU’s ERP System which has been 100% in-house built and managed for over 12 years now. The acquired system will then be fully customized to meet the specific business process automation needs of LUCG, by a dedicated in-house developer Team at LUCG with support and training by IUIU’s ERP Team, a process that is expected to last 2 years from the launch of the project. The rationale behind this technology transfer approach is to not only avail LUCG with a technology solution for business process automation but also help to build local capacity at LUCG for the ERP solution to be sustainably managed and maintained by LUCG. The project also caters to cloud hosting of the acquired and soon-to-be customized ERP system, for 5 years, including access to the necessary ERP Development environments and licenses.
While giving his remarks, the Manager IsDB Special Assistance Division, Mr Abdelhakim Yessuf, congratulated all parties on this milestone. “On behalf of the Bank, we are very pleased with this milestone. The IsDB indeed values interventions such as this one, for they are a proven approach to successful and sustainable solutions under the South-South cooperation strategy of reverse linkages. The special assistance division is specially mandated to extend assistance to Muslim communities in the IsDB Non-Member States, and this assistance is both in soft as well as in infrastructural forms. That is why in this particular case, the IsDB is funding both the construction of the female students hostel as well as this ERP Soft component, which we believe will be a valuable contribution to LUCG both in the short-term as well as long term”, said, Mr Abdelhakim Yessuf. He also extended his immense appreciation to his colleague, Mr Abdirashid Warsame, the Country Manager, for his lead role in this project at IsDB, as well as his commitment and continued guidance to the teams involved in the project, at both IUIU and LUCG.
On his part, the Rector of IUIU, Professor Ismail, expressed his appreciation to IsDB for facilitating this reverse linkage project and promised to build on this particular project to further cooperation and partnership between IUIU and LUCG. “The IUIU is so grateful to IsDB, for the funding and all forms of support, extended towards this particular project, under the category of Special Assistance to Muslim Communities in IsDB Non-Member Countries, Ghana being one of them. The IUIU promises to build on this tripartite project, by exploring further areas of partnership and collaboration between our two Sister Universities, IUIU and LUCG. Such areas could include: – Staff and student exchange programs, and joint research projects, among several others”, remarked the Rector, Professor Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda.
The President of LUCG, the host institution of the launch ceremony, and the primary beneficiary of this reverse project, Dr Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, expressed gratitude to IsDB for the grant and lauded IUIU for their in-house ERP Technology Development Capacity. “On behalf of LUCG, I extend our sincere appreciation to IsDB for this grant intended for the construction of a female students’ hostel, as well as the acquisition and customization of this ERP Technology Solution that we are launching today. We have confidence in the IUIU in-house capacity that has been nurtured over the years, and we believe that this solution will greatly enhance our business processes and management operations through process automation. We promise to offer all forms of support and cooperation possible, to ensure that this project completes successfully as anticipated”, said, Dr Mohammed-Sani.
The Chair of LUCG’s Governing Council and the Chief Guest at the launch, Hajj Salem Kalmoni, expressed his appreciation and commended this tripartite cooperation among IsDB, IUIU, and LUCG. “It is with great honour that I am here with you on this special day of the launch of this project. On behalf of the Governing Council, I extend our sincere appreciation to IsDB for this funding aimed at improving the accommodation facilities of our female students, as well as automating our business processes through this ERP Technology. Beyond this specific grant extended by IsDB, we celebrate this pioneer partnership with both the IsDB and IUIU. We believe that beyond this particular project, more other interventions will come among us, including other potential stakeholders and philanthropic development entities”, remarked, Hajj Salem Kalmoni.
To effectively manage this project, a four-member committee was appointed by the Rector to the Project Supervisory Committee. The committee is chaired by Dr Jamil Serwanga, the Vice-Rector, Academic Affairs. Other members include; Dr Umar Yahya (Secretary & Project Coordinator), Ms.Nemwa Rehema (Project Finance Officer), and Dr Ahmed Moses. The committee is expected to work closely with the supervisory committee of the same project at LUCG, led by Dr Mohammed-Sani Abdulai, the President of LUCG.