The University of Communication and Management (Wyższa Szkoła Komunikacji i Zarządzania [WSKiZ]) in Poznań, Poland, has named Nigerian-born Prof. Stephen Sinikiem Azaiki as the new Director of the institution’s Centre for Polish and African Affairs (CPAA).
In a letter dated May 4, 2026, the Rector of WSKiZ, Prof. Jerzy Olszewski, stated that the appointment was approved by the institution’s highest governing body. He noted that the institution looked forward to Prof Azaiki’s “exemplary leadership and academic stewardship, which, according to him, will further enhance the reputation and impact of the centre.”
The appointment takes effect from May 4, 2026, and is for two years in the first instance, with an option for immediate renewal of the same term.
A non-profit entity that generates its own revenue and is fully responsible for meeting its expenditures, the Centre for Polish and African Affairs is located about 300 km outside the capital, Warsaw. The centre carries out specialised, cutting-edge research and first-rate policy development aimed at promoting Polish-African relations. The centre attracts post-graduate students, eminent scholars, and academics from Africa, Poland, and the rest of the world.
The mandate of the centre is to promote bilateral relations and collaboration between Poland and African countries, especially in business, educational, and cultural matters. Through the activities of the centre, the Polish-Nigerian Trade and Investment Forum was held in September 2017; the Polish-Nigerian Parliamentary Group was set up in the Sejm (the national parliament of Poland), and some Polish dignitaries, including the President of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Sejm, visited Nigeria.
Under Prof. Azaiki’s leadership, CPAA is expected to forge new research partnerships with Nigerian universities, generate policy frameworks that can influence bilateral trade between Poland and Nigeria, and create scholarship and fellowship opportunities for Nigerian and African postgraduate students who might never have had access to European academic institutions.
