Masakhe 02_DIGITAL PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 35
LEGENDARY ACADEMICS
Q&A WITH
PROFESSOR
ABIMBOLA
WINDAPO
TEXT BWANGA KAPUMBA IMAGE SUPPLIED
EDITORS NOTE: Professor Windapo is a Full
Professor in the Department, and a multi-award
winning NRF-rated researcher, and mentor.
P
rofessor Abimbola Windapo
was the first female
professor in Construction
Management in Africa.
With an ad hominem promotion,
she is a professor in the Department
of Construction Economics
and Management, and Faculty
of Engineering and the Built
Environment, at the University of
Cape Town. An award-winning
academic; her research is driven
by the desire to ensure dignified and
sustainable housing for all. I spoke
with her on a warm March afternoon
in her office at UCT.
of Ife for my Honours Degree in
Building. Then I studied for a Masters
in Construction Management at the
University of Lagos and later studied
further for my PhD as well at the
University of Lagos.
What got you into building?
It was fortuitous. I wanted to be an
architect. So, I wrote the qualifying
exams to the University of Ife because
I was sixteen at the time, and the only
university that admitted sixteen-yearold students was the University of Ife.
So, I wrote the exam, and instead of
being admitted for Architecture, I was
admitted for Building.
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Lagos. Um… between
the 60s and 80s. I went to school in
Lagos as well, and then the University
Okay. And was that a clerical or
admin error?
I found out later when I was talking to
the dean of the faculty there… He said
ISSUE 2
33
DECEMBER 2 025
