Nile Valley University Represents Sudan at the Research4Life Regional Meeting for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Nile Valley University represented Sudanese universities at the Research4Life regional meeting for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The meeting, held online, included representatives from several countries in the region, including Morocco, Syria, and Palestine, and took place amidst growing challenges facing higher education and scientific research institutions in the region.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Garcia, representative of ITOCA from the Republic of South Africa, the organization overseeing training and capacity-building programs related to the Research4Life platform.

The meeting addressed a number of key issues, primarily the severe challenges facing research institutions, particularly the damage inflicted on university libraries and technological infrastructure, and its impact on the continuity of academic research and postgraduate programs.
Participants emphasized the vital importance of access to reliable scientific information, stressing that the Research4Life platform has become the primary—and sometimes the only—gateway to international scientific resources for Sudanese universities, following the loss of a significant portion of their knowledge assets in recent years.
The meeting also addressed internal and external obstacles hindering the optimal use of the platform and explored ways to enhance institutional integration and effectively incorporate Research4Life into universities’ scientific research strategies.

Moving from discussion to action, it was agreed that training programs targeting librarians, researchers, and graduate students should be intensified to maximize the platform’s resources.
A preliminary agreement was reached whereby Nile Valley University will organize an online training course on using the Research4Life platform, in collaboration with ITOCA and the Information Awareness Platform. The course will be open to participants from both inside and outside the university, with a particular focus on capacity building and practical applications for integrating the platform into research workflows.

Professor Wahbi Abdel Fattah, representing Nile Valley University at the meeting, said that Sudanese participation was limited to himself as the sole delegate representing Sudan, along with Dr. Ahlam Ismail Musa, representing the Information Awareness Platform and a Sudanese expert residing in Qatar. Dr. Omar Abbas, a Sudanese researcher residing in the United Arab Emirates, handled the translation.
This participation comes within the framework of Nile Valley University’s keenness to transfer the experience of Sudanese universities to regional forums, enhance cooperation with international partners, and move forward with practical steps that contribute to supporting scientific research and reactivating its tools in Sudanese universities in the post-war phase.