The University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (UAES), Umuagwo, Imo State, will on Saturday, September 5, 2026, hold its maiden convocation ceremony, seven years after the institution was established.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Christopher Chiedozie Eze, disclosed this on Wednesday 2nd September ,2026 during a press conference held at the institution Senate Chamber ahead of the historic ceremony.
Professor Eze said the university would graduate 505 students from its first two graduating sets, including 20 First Class graduates.
He disclosed that the 2024/2025 academic session produced 115 graduates from 14 departments, with six earning First Class Honours, while the 2025/2026 session produced 390 graduates from 24 departments, including 14 First Class graduates.
According to him, Miss Alfred Ugochi Juliet of the Department of Business Administration emerged Overall Best Graduating Student for 2024/2025 with a CGPA of 4.92, while Mr. Oji Shedrach Ozeum of the Department of Marketing emerged Overall Best Graduating Student for 2025/2026 with a CGPA of 4.90.
The Vice Chancellor said UAES was established by law on February 6, 2019, and commenced academic activities on May 6, 2021. He said the university currently has five faculties and 31 departments, with 689 staff comprising 284 academic and 405 non academic staff.
He added that student enrolment had grown from 291 pioneer undergraduates in the 2021/2022 academic session to 584 in the 2025/2026 session, with a cumulative 2,355 students admitted since inception.
On academic standards, Professor Eze disclosed that 24 programmes currently enjoy full accreditation, while four others are on interim accreditation and undergoing improvement.
He said the university had also recorded remarkable achievements in research and innovation, attracting funded projects from organisations including the European Union, the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Gates Foundation through RTI International and RUFORUM.
A major highlight, he said, was UAES's emergence as Overall Champion at the 2025 TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research, TETFAIR, where it was one of only 11 institutions selected nationwide and the only university from the South East.
The university's innovation, a hybrid solar battery powered multi crop drying system known as the AgroNova Dryer, also won the Pitch Deck Champion award and was patented by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in November 2025.
Professor Eze further disclosed that more than 160 construction, rehabilitation, repair and procurement projects had been executed between November 2022 and August 2026. These include the renovation of the Faculty of Engineering complex, a 500 capacity lecture hall, rehabilitation of the Medical Centre, improved hostel and laboratory facilities and solar lighting in student hostels.
He said the university had also invested heavily in staff development, with 144 staff sponsored to conferences, 288 benefiting from TETFund training, 105 receiving Institution Based Research Grants and 55 currently on TETFund doctoral scholarships.
The Vice Chancellor appealed to prospective students to consider UAES, stressing that its graduates receive training in their chosen disciplines as well as agriculture, environmental sciences and entrepreneurship.
He also called for increased support from government, donors, development agencies and industry, particularly in scholarships, infrastructure, research and laboratory expansion.
The high point of the press conference was the display of different products produced by students of the institution, showcasing the practical skills, creativity and entrepreneurial capacity being developed among students of the young university.
The exhibition provided journalists and other stakeholders with an opportunity to see first hand some of the practical outcomes of the university's academic and vocational training, reinforcing the institution's commitment to producing graduates who are not only academically sound but also equipped with relevant skills capable of contributing meaningfully to society and creating employment opportunities.
Present at the press conference were the Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Dr. Obinna C. U. Adumanya; Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Dr. Emmanuel Ezenwa Uzodimma; Ag. Registrar, Dr. (Mrs.) Olachi Chinyere Ihejirika; Ag. Bursar, Dr. Iwunna Ada Remi; University Librarian, Professor Chidi C. Nwosu; members of Management, deans of faculties, heads of departments, directors and students of the university.
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