Kwara State University (KWASU) has announced the second set of beneficiaries for its Researcher of the Year and Staff of the Year awards, recognising excellence and dedication within the institution.

Dr. AbdulWaheed Musa from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was named Researcher of the Year 2024 , receiving a cash prize of ₦250,000, a certificate, and a plaque. The notification, signed by Registrar Dr. Kikelomo W. Sallee on 7th March 2025, highlighted Dr. Musa’s exceptional contributions to advancing knowledge in his field.

In a similar vein, Mr Waheed Awuni Sunmon of the Registry Department was honoured as the Best Staff of the Year 2024 . Recognised for his "dedication, hard work, and contributions to the efficient functioning of the University," Mr. Sunmon—a pioneer staff member and currently Secretary to the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology—will receive ₦100,000, a certificate, and a plaque.

These accolades form part of KWASU’s strategic efforts to promote research excellence and motivate employees across all departments.

Dr. AbdulWaheed Musa, an Associate Professor of wireless communication, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy, is an award-winning senior academic with international exposure and experience in research, mentoring, leadership, and consulting.

He is the Founding Director of KWASU’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems (CAMS) and currently, the Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He also served as the Founding Director of the Centre for Telecommunication Research and Development (CTRD).

Dr. Musa is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)– USA, a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)– United Kingdom.

He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow between February 2017 and January 2020 and a Senior Research Associate between November 2020 and October 2023 at the Institute for Intelligent Systems, the University of Johannesburg.

Some of his research and projects have been funded by both local and international donor agencies, including the Royal Academy of Engineering (United Kingdom), the Gender and Responsible Artificial Intelligence Network (GRAIN), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), among others.

As a telecommunication specialist, Dr Musa was on Nigeria’s delegation to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World (Bangkok 2016). He was also invited by the Government of South Africa to the ITU Telecom World (Durban 2018), and the 2019 edition of World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa. As an AI expert, he has taken part in developing the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) for Nigeria as coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy in 2024.

With over seventy (70) scholarly papers published in reputable journals and conference proceedings, Dr Musa possesses excellent technical, organizational, and communication skills, and aims to become an extraordinary and successful knowledge generation, dissemination, and application professional.