African academic receives honorary doctorate at Tuks

The University of Pretoria (UP) has conferred an honorary doctorate to Professor Toyin Falola.

The renowned African studies and history scholar was recognied for his exceptional academic achievements and contribution as a public intellectual.

Falola has written and edited over 200 books, making him one of Africa’s most successful historians.

Falola holds multiple prestigious appointments across various institutions.

He is a professor of history at the University of Texas in Austin, an extraordinary professor of politics at the University of Pretoria (UP), and professor emeritus in humanities at Lead City University in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Falola also serves as an honorary professor at University of the Free State and plays a key advisory role on the International Advisory Board of the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs at Unisa.

He is a founding member of the Advisory Board for the African Centre for the Study of the United States at UP (ACSUS-UP), demonstrating his extensive expertise and influence in the academic community.

Falola’s academic journey began in 1973 at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in Nigeria.

He graduated with a PhD in history in 1981.

Acting head of UP’s Department of Political Sciences and Director of ACSUS-UP, Professor Christopher Isike, said within the same decade, Falola rose to become a full professor and a top scholar.

“Within four years of completing his PhD, he had produced major essays and two award-winning books,” said Isike.

According to Isike, Falola has worked with various international organiaations, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Isike said this honour serves as a testament to Falola’s tireless efforts to advance knowledge and promote understanding, inspiring future generations of scholars and researchers.

“This prestigious recognition acknowledges Falola’s distinguished career and his commitment to advancing knowledge in the humanities,” said Isike.

In his acceptable speech, Falola stated that the acknowledgement was an affirmation of a shared commitment to co-create knowledge that advances understanding of the humanities in the past, present, and future, with the intention of enhancing the human experience.

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