Victor Mbarika

Last updated
Professor
Victor Mbarika
Mbarika Conference.jpg
President, Board of Trustees, ICT University
Personal details
Alma mater Auburn University (PhD)
University of Illinois
OccupationFull and Endowed Professor of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Awards
Website mbarika.com

Victor Mbarika is an American professor from Cameroon. He is currently the Stallings International Distinguished Scholar and MIS professor at East Carolina University within the University of North Carolina System, in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. [2] He is the President, Board of Trustees of the ICT University. [3]

Contents

Education

Mbarika earned his Master's degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from The University of Illinois at Chicago in 1997, and a Ph.D. degree in MIS from Auburn University in 2000.

Career and research

Mbarika's research is focused on ICT implementation in Africa, and has provided a theoretically informed framework for understanding ICTs in less developed countries. His work provides a base from which to begin to understand the contextual differences that dictate information systems research in less advantaged environments. He is founding editor-in-chief of The African Journal of Information Systems and senior board member for several academic journals internationally. [4]

He is also the founder of the International Center for Information Technology and Development (ICITD), East Carolina University, Greenville, which focuses on advancing IT training and development in Sub Saharan Africa especially on e-health, e-education and e-democracy. [5] In 2016, he was among the first recipients of the Fulbright-MCMC research grants. [6]

In 2020, Premium Times reported that a spokesperson for Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, governor of Kano State of Nigeria, claimed that Ganduje had received a letter from Mbarika indicating Ganduje's appointment as a visiting professor at East Carolina University. East Carolina University later released a statement that confirmed Mbarika was part of its faculty but denied that the appointment was made and that Mbarika was authorised to make such an appointment at the university. [7]

Other initiatives

Other initiatives facilitated by him include The ICT for Africa conference series (ICT4 Africa), [8] African Journal of Information Systems (AJIS), [9] the ICT University Foundation [10] and Cameroon Youths for Jesus (CYJ). [11] Through the ICT University Foundation, he has donated e-learning facilities to some universities in sub-Saharan Africa [12] [13] [14] which is aimed to advance learning activities for economic and societal development.

Publications

Professor Mbarika has authored over 200 academic publications (books, book chapters, journals articles). [15]

Selected books

Honors and awards

Mbarika is a recipient of three lifetime achievement awards, [16] [17] for his "Outstanding contribution to computer science and telecommunications" and his "Contribution to ICT Research and Education".

He received African Achievers Award on July 14, 2023 in London, United Kingdom. [18]

He was also honored with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by former U.S. President Joe Biden for his contributions to education and poverty alleviation. [19] Additionally, the United Kingdom’s House of Lords recognized him with the African Leadership Award. [20]

In Cameroon, Professor Mbarika was conferred the TEH-BENG (Pillar of Society) title by the Meta Fons Union in Yaoundé, recognizing his contributions to ICT development in the region. [21] [22]

He is a five-time Fulbright grant recipient, founding Editor-in-Chief of The African Journal of Information Systems, and a lifetime member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and Africa's first distinguished member of the Association of Information Systems. [23]

References

  1. "Victor Mbarika | The Drum Newspaper".
  2. "ECU names new Stallings Distinguished International Scholar". 10 September 2020.
  3. "President, ICT University". Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  4. "DIR Victor. W. A. Mbarika | Southern University and A&M College". www.subr.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  5. "NSF Award Search: Award#0644305 - CAREER: Information Technology Transfer to Developing Countries: An E-Medicine Model for Sub-Saharan Africa". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  6. Education, N. S. T. (2016-06-27). "Three get first Fulbright-MCMC grants". NST Online. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  7. Kabir, Adejumo (4 December 2020). "American university denies appointing Ganduje visiting professor". Premium Times . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  8. "2008 ICT for Africa Conference Report". 1 January 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009.
  9. "The African Journal of Information Systems | Kennesaw State University". www.ajisonline.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  10. "ICT University Foundation – research | training | development". ictuniversityfoundation.org. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  11. "Cameroon Youths for Jesus". www.cyjonline.org. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  12. "US varsity donates e-library worth $240,000 to Ondo college". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  13. "U.S. ICT university donates N3m worth e-library facilities to KASU". P.M. News. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  14. "Nigeria: Kaduna State University To Receive Infrastructure From ICT University, USA". Africa Prime News. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  15. "Prof. Victor Mbarika". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  16. "Southern's Victor Mbarika earns third lifetime achievement award for IT work in developing nations | The Drum Newspaper" . Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  17. "Two Black Scholars Win Prestigious Awards". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  18. AMABO, Eulalia (20 July 2023). "African Achievers Award, Prof. Victor Mbarika Conferred Distinction. The Cameroonian-born scholar was distinguished on July 14, 2023 in London for excellence in leadership". Cameroon Tribune n° 12898/9097. p. 3.
  19. "President Biden Honours ICT University Founder Prof. Mbarika with Lifetime Achievement Award" . Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  20. "President Biden Honours ICT University Founder Prof. Mbarika with Lifetime Achievement Award" . Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  21. "Meta Fons Confer 'Pillar of Society' Distinction on Prof. Victor Mbarika" . Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  22. "Fon Chafah Confers Rare Traditional Title on Prof. Mbarika". The Guardian Post Cameroon. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  23. "President Biden Honours ICT University Founder Prof. Mbarika with Lifetime Achievement Award" . Retrieved 2024-02-01.