President of Koya University Visits Wood Group Companies Iraq Branch in Basra

Basra - Iraq - Prof. Dr. Mohammed H.S. Zangana, President of Koya University, visited the Iraq branch of Wood Group companies in Basra, which specializes in providing engineering services in the oil and gas sector to major international companies operating in Iraq such as British Petroleum, Shell, and PetroChina, and met with company officials.

On Tuesday, August 5, 2025, Prof. Dr. Mohammed H.S. Zangana, President of Koya University, visited the Iraq branch of Wood Group companies in Basra, accompanied by Ms. Kurdo Omar, member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives; Dr. Maher Talib, Director of the Continuing Education Center at Southern Technical University; and Asst. Lect.Muhammed Karim Saedgul, Director of Media at Koya University. They were welcomed by Osama Musa Lazim, Iraq Branch Manager and Business Development at Wood; Stuart Gove, Business Development Manager for Iraq and Middle East; Engineer Dalia Furat, Business Development and Relations Lead; and Warren Black, Technical Delivery Lead.

Meeting Objectives and University Presentation: The meeting, aimed at familiarizing with the company's work and exploring coordination opportunities with Koya University to create job opportunities for university graduates, began with the university president presenting an overview of Koya University and outlining its vision and objectives.

Prof. Dr. Mohammed H.S. Zangana discussed Koya University's strategic plan, particularly the first pillar "STUDENT SUCCESS AND EMPLOYABILITY ," explaining that the university aims to prepare students in a way that ensures they have strong competencies upon graduation, increasing their employment opportunities.

Strategic Partnerships and Training Programs: The university president emphasized that within the framework of their strategic plan pillars, they establish and develop relationships with academic institutions, government entities, and companies. He cited the participation of 40 Koya University students in training programs in Basra as an example of such collaboration.

Parliamentary Support: Ms. Kurdo Omar, member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, spoke about the historical significance of Koya city and praised the university's role in establishing relationships with governmental and non-governmental institutions, as well as international and domestic companies, aimed at creating job opportunities for university graduates. She requested the company to provide employment opportunities for Koya University graduates in areas where the company has needs.

Company Response and Future Collaboration: The Wood team expressed their satisfaction with the visit and praised Koya University's vision and objectives, which have developed a five-year strategic roadmap. They discussed their company's activities and outlined their areas of operation.

The company representatives indicated that they will soon come to Kirkuk as part of their work with British Petroleum and requested coordination with Koya University as a distinguished academic institution in the oil and gas sector in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Facility Tour: Subsequently, the Koya University delegation, accompanied by company officials, toured the company's offices and observed closely the company's work methods and operational areas.

Significance of the Partnership: This visit represents an important step in strengthening ties between academic institutions and the private sector in Iraq, particularly in the strategic oil and gas industry. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between academic education and industry requirements, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared for the job market while meeting the skilled workforce needs of major international companies operating in Iraq's energy sector.

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Koya University (KOU) is located in the city of Koya (Koy Sanjaq) which is 1.0 hr drive to the East of the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil (Arbil, Hewlér) in Kurdistan Region of F.R. Iraq. It is on the foothills of a beautiful high mountain. Its campus has been carefully laid out to embrace the beautiful mountainous nature.

There are 4 Faculties and 2 Schools in KOU; Faculty of Engineering (FENG), Faculty of Science and Health (FSCH), Faculty of Education (FEDU), Faculty of Humanities and Social Silences (FHSS), Shcool of Physical Education (SPHE) and School of Medicine (SMED).

Also, there are two research centers; Genome Center and Malai Gawra Center. Moreover, at KOU there is an English Language Center (BELC) at KOU has been opened with the sponsorship of IREX and American embassy in Baghdad as well as with the support of Spring International Language Center of The University of Arkansas. KOU has two Scientific Journals; ARO-The Scientific Journal of Koya University, which is indexed by Clarivate Analytics (ESCI), and Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (KUJHSS). KOU is a proactive member of Erasmus/ Marhaba Project and Erasmus+.

KOU signed many Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with many International Universities, e.g., The University of Arkansas (June 2015). The Lulea University in Sweden (April 2014), The University of Nottingham in the UK, The University of Buckingham in the UK (Oct 2008), Belkin University in Turkey (Sep 2009) The University of Greenwich in the UK, Cihan University-Erbil (2021) and Tishk International University (2021).

Koya University is a memebr of The Association of Arab Universities and the International Association of Universities.

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