Two lecturers at Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, have been named as joint winners of the UNICEF-IAMCR C4D Research Fund for 2021. The duo of Solomon Oyeleye, acting head of department, and Ifedolapo Ademosu, both of whom are from the department of mass communication, were announced winners of the grant, according to a statement from the university.
The university’s publicist, Wale Adekoya, said the announcement was contained in a letter from Elske Van de Fliert, the Director, Centre for Communication and Social Change, School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland, Australia, on behalf of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).
“Their winning proposal, titled “Trust and Mistrust in a Pandemic: Evaluation of Acceptance of COVID-19 Communication Tools in Use in Nigeria”, was adjudged among the best two from all entries received by the international body from communication scholars across the globe,” Mr Adekoya said.
The grant is awarded to two persons annually.
The second award was won by Sneh Gupta of the University School of Mass Communication, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasta University, New Delhi.
She was awarded for her project titled “Empowering Adolescent Girls through Digital Interventions in Rural Rajasthan: A Case Study of Girls Effect’s Chaa Jaa (Go Forth and Shine) Programme.”
The sponsored projects are expected to run from April to September 2021.
“The two Caleb University winners had early in March 2021, also won selection for an international workshop on “Teaching Disinformation in Higher Education”, organised by Mediawell, an arm of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in conjunction with the Shorenstein Center, and the Center for an Informed Public,” Mr Adekoya noted.
“They were part of 30 global scholars that participated in the workshop on March 19th, and the only two scholars from Nigeria on the programme,” his statement read.
Funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and managed by the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), the research initiative is targeted at advancing the understanding of how Communication for Development (C4D) contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The research is expected to contribute to the work of the Global Alliance for Social and Behaviour Change (GASBC).
