Zuma Accepts Nigerian Degree

He received the award for his contribution to education and human
development during a working tour to Nigeria.

In a speech prepared for delivery at the ceremony, Zuma said he
regarded the award as an “honour” and perceived it as recognition of
South Africa and the country’s role in the continent and the world.

He said he received the doctorate as reflective of the cordial
relations between the two countries.

Education in Africa was important because quality education was
essential to building the human resources required for the continent’s
development.

“Not a single nation shall prosper without education.

“We should ensure that education is used as a tool for development,” Zuma said.

Of the top 100 universities in the world, it was “hard to find a
single one from Africa”, he said – adding that the measures used to
determine this list “may be one-sided and ideologically loaded”.

Zuma also called for indigenous languages to be used in academia, as
this was prerequisite to “the decolonisation of the African
mind”.News24