RSU - PANA Holdings Partnership Brings IIT Madras Collaboration to Nigerian Students, Targeting Skills Gap Solutions
PANA Holdings Group CEO, Dr. Daere Akobo, with Rivers State University Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, at the signing of the partnership agreement.
Delegations from PANA Holdings and Rivers State University tour the Center of Excellence at PE Energy Limited in Port Harcourt.
PANA Holdings Chairman, Dr. Daere Akobo, explains valve maintenance services to Rivers State University Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, during the delegation’s tour of PE Energy Limited’s Center of Excellence in Port Harcourt.
PANA Holdings partners RSU to give students access to IIT Madras, tackling Nigeria’s skills gap through industry-integrated learning.
We must move beyond theory to deliver practical, sustainable outcomes that bridge academia and industry through collaboration and design thinking”
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA, September 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- PANA Holdings to facilitate direct access to India's prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras for River State University students, through a groundbreaking partnership announced yesterday between the university and industrial conglomerate, as both institutions tackle Nigeria's critical skills gap through industry-integrated learning.— Dr. Daere Akobo
The comprehensive collaboration, unveiled during a meeting between PANA Holdings founder and Group CEO Dr. Daere Akobo and River State University Vice Chancellor Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, extends beyond traditional university partnerships to create what has been described as a "full-cycle innovation ecosystem."
At the center of the initiative is the newly announced Rivers Valley Tech Idea Hub, which will receive $300,000 in seed funding from PANA Holdings and occupy dedicated office space at Diplomatic Village. The hub is designed to cover the complete innovation spectrum—from skills development and incubation to business scaling—with direct mentorship links to IIT Madras faculty and researchers.
During their meeting, Dr. Akobo emphasized the need to move beyond the theoretical to create practical, sustainable outcomes that bridge academia and industry, highlighting the partnership's focus on industrial collaboration and design thinking.
The international dimension of the partnership includes planned delegation visits to Mysore, Infosys facilities, and IIT Madras campuses for knowledge transfer, positioning Nigerian students within global technology and innovation networks. Additional partnerships with Zoho University and Infosys Wingspan are expected to produce job-ready graduates equipped with industry-relevant skills.
Professor Zeb-Obipi pledged the university's full commitment to the initiative, noting the alignment of institutional values and the potential to enhance the university's academic ranking through practical industry integration.
The partnership addresses Nigeria's persistent graduate unemployment challenges through multiple fronts. PANA Holdings will integrate RSU researchers into enterprise performance projects, while the university's Faculty of Agriculture will explore research opportunities and value-chain development with the industrial conglomerate.
A notable component includes the establishment of a nonprofit organization, Africa Energy and Sustainability Consultancy, which will operate from the Diplomatic Village facility and focus on continental development initiatives.
PANA Holdings brings significant industrial expertise to the collaboration, with a portfolio spanning hydrocarbon measurement, pipeline services, and non-conventional oil and gas technologies. The company has contributed to Nigeria's hydrocarbon measurement reporting and pipeline leakage interventions while establishing institutes in science and space technology.
The partnership also introduces PANA Holdings’ ‘digital data refinery’ concept, which transforms unstructured data into accessible formats for smarter decision-making across sectors. Both institutions emphasized the replicability of this model across Nigeria and Africa, suggesting yesterday's announcement could signal a broader shift toward industry-integrated higher education on the continent.
The initiative is expected to launch in the coming months, with initial student cohorts beginning skills development programs while delegation visits to Indian partner institutions are finalized.
PANA Holdings
Marketing & Communications
info@panaholdings.com
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