His Excellency Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, Vice Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), met with His Excellency Mr. Mpetjane Kgaogelo Lekgoro, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa at the UAEU campus in Al Ain. The purpose of the visit of South African Ambassador to the university was to discuss a range of scientific, research and academic subjects and cooperation in these fields between universities and academic institutions in South Africa and UAEU.

At the beginning of the meeting; attended by students from the Political Science and Mass Communications Departments; Dr. Al Noaimi presented a brief overview of the founding of UAEU. He stressed the key role of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan in founding the university in 1976 and UAEU’s role since then in producing generations of graduates to carry the standard of scientific excellence and leadership in their respective fields.

The Vice Chancellor thanked the Ambassador and his accompanying delegation for their visit and emphasized the increasing interest of UAEU in building sustainable cultural and academic links with embassies and other cultural attachés in the UAE. This allows for effective academic cooperation and provides better support for students. Dr. Al Noaimi expressed his willingness to build cooperative relations with South African universities and academic institutions for student, academic and research exchanges: most particularly in the areas of agricultural and food security research.

Dr. Al Noaimi stressed the diversity of UAEU’s faculty, all of whom provide excellent teaching and other academic services to the students, while representing a cosmopolitan tapestry of different countries and cultures. This is particularly important as UAEU is home to a large number of international students, including many from South Africa.