American International University, West Africa Extends Curriculum as Open Source Initiative Member

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Sept. 25, 2017 - PRLog -- The Open Source Initiative® (OSI), the global non-profit formed to educate about, and advocate for, the benefits of open source software and build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community, announced today that The American International University, West Africa's (AIUWA) has joined the organization as an Affiliate Member. AIUWA is a unique educational instituion of higher education, combining degree-seeking programs, along with professional development and certification. The program's mandatory academic and professional courses enable students to graduate with both academic credentials and professional qualifications. AIUWA also serves as a center for health, management, and information technology research and development in Africa.

"AIUWA's membership is incredibly satisfying for the OSI," said Patrick Masson, OSI General Manager and Director. "First, the OSI Board has identified specific goals to increase membership and representation from both higher education, and international communities, especially in Africa. This highlights that our work is making an impact." Masson continued, "Secondly, AIUWA's program is incredibly innovative—offering both degree programs and professional credentials—I think it is a model we can help share to other institutions, which of course is right in line with our mission of 'building bridges between communities.'"

AIUWA, and particularly its College of Management & IT, are simply the first of their kind: founded to address the growing reality of today's technology-based economy where many university graduates must extend their education, returning to learn what is expected by employers after graduation. As a result, the College of Management & IT at AIUWA was setup and has developed programs to bridge the gap between academia and the work place, creating alliances with Oracle, Microsoft & Cisco Academies. IN addition, recognizing the growing impact of open source within technology, AIUWA is now developing an Open Source Academy, in line with their existing portfolio, as well as a student-driven Open Source Club, to expose their students to open source technologies.

"OSI is the de-facto body for open source technologies. Affiliation with OSI aligns with our mission to bring industry into academia. This affiliation with OSI will give more credibility and guidance for preparing the workforce of tomorrow within the classroom," said Olawale Fabiyi, the Head of the Computer Science & Technology Department at AIUWA.

The OSI Affiliate Member Program is available at no-cost to non-profits, educational institutions, and government agencies—independent groups with a commitment to open source—that support OSI's mission to raise awareness and adoption of open source software and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community.

About American International University, West Africa — The College of Management and information Technology

The College of Management and information Technology at the American International University, West Africa the Gambia provides curricula tailored to meeting the requirements of industries and train students to be academically, practically and professionally prepared to "hit the ground running" in the industry. The College provides a platform for galvanizing and channeling the energy and intellectual prowess of the youth to accelerate Africa's growth and development, and by so doing, making contributions to global advancement in human capacity. You can learn more about The College of Management and information Technology at http://aiu.edu.gm/cmit/

About the Open Source Initiative

Founded in 1998, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) protects and promotes open source software, development and communities, championing software freedom in society through education, collaboration, and infrastructure, stewarding the Open Source Definition, and preventing abuse of the ideals and ethos inherent to the open source movement. The OSI is a California public benefit corporation, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. For more information about the OSI, or to learn how to become a sponsor, please visit: http://opensource.org.