The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has formally extended the appointment of Professor Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj, a Mass Communication scholar at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), as the global Co-Coordinator for the UNESCO University Twinning and Networking (UNITWIN) Programme and the Head of the African Chapter for UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network.
The renewal of Professor Suraj’s appointment was confirmed in an official communication from UNESCO’s Future of Learning and Innovation Division, which acknowledged his intellectual leadership and the pivotal role he played in strengthening media and information literacy (MIL) and intercultural dialogue across university networks, globally.
Professor Suraj, a faculty member in the Department of Mass Communication at UNILAG, will continue to serve alongside Professor José Manuel Pérez Tornero of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His reappointment follows the renewal of the UNITWIN Cooperation Programme agreement between UNILAG and UNESCO, which has been extended to run through December 31, 2029. His work has been particularly influential in representing perspectives from Africa and the Global South within the broader UNESCO framework.
Widely regarded as a leading authority in the field, with his research concentrating on digital society dynamics and the application of MIL as a catalyst for behavioural change and cross-cultural understanding, Professor Suraj’s leadership has been instrumental in the recent inauguration of the African chapter of the MILID network, an initiative designed to adapt global solutions to local contexts using MIL strategies aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
His reappointment further cements UNILAG’s status as a prominent player within UNESCO’s global MIL network. Under the renewed mandate, the Network is expected to drive forward UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector objectives through collaborative research, teaching innovations, and community-oriented action.
UNESCO has also encouraged the Network to enhance global participation in its MIL Programme and to ensure that research outputs are made freely available as Open Access resources, promoting wider accessibility and knowledge sharing.
Meanwhile, UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, on behalf of the UNILAG community, has congratulated Professor Suraj on his well-deserved reappointment and expressed confidence in his continued success in advancing the Network’s mission over the coming years.
