Albert J. Alos
  • Biography
  • Publications

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Professor Emeritus Albert Alos studied Electrical Engineering at University of Bilbao, Spain. After completing his Doctorate Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1966, he spent one year in Kenya teaching at Strathmore College and the Department of Electrical Engineering of University of Nairobi.

He came to Nigeria in October 1967 as a lecturer in the Department of Electronics of the University of Ife (today Obafemi Awolowo University). As the first lecturer in the newly created department, he was involved in curricula design and in the setting up of engineering laboratories.

In 1971 he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of Lagos, where, in addition to his teaching assignments, he was actively engaged in research and consulting activities for industry. The Control Engineering laboratory he helped to set up was known at that time as one of the best in Nigerian universities. As a result of his extensive research and numerous publications he was appointed Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1983. He moved to University of Ibadan as Professor and Head of Department of Electrical Engineering. He was responsible for the establishment of this department within the newly created Faculty of Technology, and developed the Electrical Engineering programme to the level of accreditation by COREN. He retired from university services in 1992.

During his 25 years in the university system, he combined “gown and town”, dedicating some of his time to the promotion of educational projects that could contribute to the development of the youth. His concern for quality education led him to join other individuals who shared the same concern in registering the Educational Co-operation Society, a Nigerian not-for-profit NGO that promotes projects for the advancement of education. Under the umbrella of this NGO he was involved in managing and raising funds for the establishment of Helmbridge Study Centre in Surulere, which provided an environment conducive to learning and personal development for secondary school students in Lagos. During his years at Ibadan, he pioneered the project of Irawo University Centre, a private hall of residence for students of the University of Ibadan. Both of these projects are today vibrant centres that provide an integral education to large numbers of students.

He retired from the university system to help start a new project, this time on a full-time basis: the Lagos Business School. He was appointed Director General of the school in 1993 and was given responsibility for the creation of a business school of international standard that would provide management education relevant to the business environment. Together with his management team, he was involved in the development of a variety of executive programmes and seminars designed to meet the needs of industry. He taught operations management and strategy and wrote several articles and case studies in these areas. He was an active consultant to industry on strategic management issues. His recent book “The Pains and Gains of Growth” is a result of several years of studying and working with new business ventures in their growth stage.

In 1996 he led the process of raising the status of the school to that of a private university working closely with government. After government’s approval to operate as a private university in January 2002, Lagos Business School became the first school of Pan-African University, and he was appointed the University’s Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for developing the organisational structure of the new university and the growth of its programmes.

Professionally, he is a COREN-registered engineer, a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineers, a Fellow of the International Academy of Management and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. He was a member of the Vision 2010 Committee and served as a Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group for six years. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Business Day (a daily financial newspaper) and a Trustee of the IOD Corporate Governance Centre.

He has been given several awards in recognition of his contributions to the university system, professional institutions and the Nation. He valued specially the awards from those who shared in his efforts to improve the quality of education in Nigeria, particularly:

• Appreciation Award for commitment, dedication to duty and exemplary leadership, and for sharing the vision of quality service to the Nigerian University System, by the National Universities Commission (NUC) (2003)
• Award for outstanding dedication to the growth and development of the Lagos Business School and contribution to management education in Nigeria, by the Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA) (1999)
• Award for contributions to the development of Private Universities in Nigeria, by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Private Universities (2011)

Other awards were:
• Award in recognition of services and contributions towards the advancement of engineering, by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) (1986).
• Director Development Award, by the Institute of Directors Nigeria (IOD) (2003)
• Distinguished Lecturer Award, by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (2005)
• Award as a great alumnus of the University of Ibadan, by the University of Ibadan (2009)

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  • Books

    Alos, A. & Bamiro, O. (2005), The Pains and Gains of Growth: case studies on Entrepreneurship, Criterion Books, Lagos.

  • Technical Reports

    Alos, A., P. Bamkole, D. Salami, F. Ajogwu (2005): “Reforming the business support policy for SME growth”, a research report by NESG-SME Group sponsored by World Bank.

    Okonedo, E., Alos A. (2004) “The fast-food industry supply chain: challenges and opportunities”, Research study sponsored by UNIDO.

    Bamiro, O., Igbeka, J and Alos A. (2003): “Industry research of the dairy sector in Nigeria”, Research study sponsored by UNIDO.

    Bamiro, O, Alos A. (2002): “Industry research on the Applications software sector in Nigeria”, Research study sponsored by African Project Development Facility (APDF)

    Alos, A., Bamiro, O., Salami, D., (1997) “The impact of the NLNG project on the Nigerian economy”, a study carried out for Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas.

  • Cases

    Alos, A. (2017). IECD: Seeds of hope. The Case Centre No .
    Lagos, Nigeria: Lagos Business School.

  • Research

    Completed:
    1. A study of the entrepreneurial process in the Nigerian environment. The challenges of managing growth of new ventures in uncertain and unstable environments are highlighted through the discussion of 12 case studies on entrepreneurship. Research led to the publication of a book entitled “The Pains and Gains of Growth”.

    2. Survey of the Applications software industry in Nigeria; sponsored by IFC. The survey analyzed the current uses of Application packages in the various sectors of the economy, implementation challenges, level of investment in IT, emergence of local software developers, and government’s policy on ICT. Research led to the publication of the survey.

    3. Lead researcher for the study of support policies for SME growth; research sponsored by the World Bank. The study focused on three major areas of relevance in the SME sector: transitioning from the informal to the formal sector; access to finance; and business support to SME. Recommendations for policy reform were made and presented at SME Conference and the Nigerian Economic Summit.

    In progress:
    1. Strategies for growth: Moving to the next level, with special emphasis on sustainability and innovation. Writing case studies on companies in the stage of growth.
    2. The evolution of creative ideas into business ventures: Writing case studies on creative ideas and creative enterprises with particular relevance to the media industry.

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