Professor Ekanem Ikpi Braide has made history as the first female president of the Nigerian Academy of Science after 44 years of existence.

Professor Braide, a professor of Parasitology/Epidemiology who is the 19th President of the Academy, was inducted on Thursday, Jan 28, and will be in office for a period of four years.

She was a member of the national committee that achieved the laudable feat of guinea worm eradication in Nigeria, and was nominated by the Minister of Health to serve in the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR). In July 2010, she was honored by the President of Nigeria with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for her contribution to disease control in Nigeria.

She also served as Vice-Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Calabar, Nigeria (2004 to 2009) and as Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Lafia, Nigeria (2011 to 2016). She is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Arthur Jarvis University, Akpabuyo, Nigeria.

In her acceptance speech, Professor Braide promised to build on the achievements of her predecessor and to ensure that NAS attain its potentials.