There might be half a century between them but it didn’t stop them comparing notes on The University of Nottingham.

University alumnus Professor Lanre Ogunlana (Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 1963) and prospective Nottingham Architecture student Yimika Edun were both guests at the Nigerian launch of The University of Nottingham West Africa Office.

Professor Ogunlana, a consultant in pharmaceuticals with Lanpharm Laboratories Scientific Services, studied at the University from 1960-63 and Yimika will start her foundation course at Nottingham in January 2013.

They were just two of the 50 or so guests, including University of Nottingham alumni and partners, who met at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Lagos to celebrate the opening of the University’s West Africa Office, which was officially opened in the Ghanaian capital Accra in April.

The event was hosted by Professor Christine Ennew, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation at The University of Nottingham, Brigitte Rudram of the University’s International Office and Isaac Adoki, President of Nottingham Alumni Association Nigeria.

Professor Ennew said: “The University has more than 800 alumni in Nigeria and it was a joy to meet so many of our alumni, friends and prospective students at the event. Links between the University and Nigeria stretch back over 50 years and there is a long tradition of Nigerian students coming to study at The University of Nottingham in the UK and more recently at our Malaysia campus. We have also enjoyed strong academic links and collaborative research with many senior academics in Nigeria having been trained at The University of Nottingham.”

The office in Ghana is the first physical presence that the University has established on the continent. It is evidence of Nottingham’s commitment to global reach, partnership development, supporting diversity and widening participation. It also underpins the University’s commitment to supporting development across the region through capacity building, collaborative support and knowledge transfer.

The office is providing a focus for encouraging staff and student mobility between the UK and Africa and supporting alumni and extending links with partners in the region. It is also establishing a regional base for the University’s increasing collaborative work across Africa, encouraging greater staff and student exchange and widening access to the University’s campuses through increased awareness of the its extensive scholarships portfolio.