The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the West Africa Theological Seminary (WATS), Ipaja, Lagos, as a degree-awarding institution for undergraduate programmes in Christian Religious Studies.
The approval represents a major development in the seminary’s more than four decades of theological education, academic training, and ministry formation.
WATS also announced that it recently secured full accreditation from the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA), a continental body responsible for coordinating and accrediting theological education in Africa.
Reacting to the NUC approval, the provost, Pastor Olufemi Emmanuel, said the development marked the culmination of decades of efforts by the institution to obtain national recognition.
Emmanuel, in a statement by the WATS’ Coordinator, Communication and Church Relations, Isaac Daramola stated that the seminary had satisfied the requirements for the approval and will now be able to provide theological education and award degrees in Nigeria’s higher education regulatory framework.
‘For decades, WATS pursued this national recognition and met every rigorous requirement. While we remain grateful for our international and local partnerships, this NUC approval affirms our capacity to deliver world-class theological training and award degrees under Nigeria’s highest academic regulatory framework,’ he said.
The provost said the approval complements WATS’ existing academic affiliations with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Asbury Theological Seminary in the United States.
Emmanuel also disclosed that the seminary had received confirmation of its full ACTEA accreditation.
The seminary described the NUC approval and ACTEA accreditation as significant milestones in its longstanding commitment to theological education and ministry preparation.
Meanwhile, WATS has announced plans to host a three-day discipleship conference designed to equip church leaders and ministry workers with practical and biblical tools for effective discipleship.
The conference will focus on strengthening the capacity of ministry practitioners to promote effective Christian discipleship in their churches and communities