Sino-Africa Joint Agricultural Research Center in Kenya

4 December 2014. Nairobi, Kenya. Sino-Africa Joint Research Center at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi.

The purpose of setting up this research center, which was approved in May 2013, is to accommodate the needs of science, technology and socioeconomic development of African countries. The construction of the main building and the affiliated botanic garden is completely sponsored by the Chinese government. Besides the joint research Centre,

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto (R),
accompanied by Charge d'Affaires of the
Chinese Embassy in Kenya Tian Lin (C)

China has financed the establishment of a Botanical garden in Kenya to strengthen collaborative research in biodiversity conservation, water management, desert control and modern farming.

The research centre aims at "conducting mutually beneficial cooperation" with relevant African countries in various areas such as biodiversity conservation, ecological environment, desertification combating and etc.  Tian Lin, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya

The establishment of a joint research center marks an important milestone in Sino-Africa cooperation. It will help address bottlenecks to sustainable development in Africa. 24 young Africans are currently studying in China, supported by CAS scholarship, and "a series of joint scientific investigations were organized in biodiversity and lake ecology conservation" between the two countries. Qiu Huasheng, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) 

Related 

1-4 December 2014. Nairobi. This international conference on Capacity Building, Technological Adoption and Knowledge Generation was a joint initiative between Kenyatta University, AGRA, University of Nairobi, and Horticultural Association of Kenya (HAK) through DAAD. It brought together participants from three continents to deliberate on bridging the gap between society, science and industry in building a new generation of agricultural scientists.

Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA president, emphasized the need for concerted efforts to build knowledge in agriculture and agribusiness.

Dr.Kalibata reiterated the need for continuous knowledge development and dissemination in agribusiness as well as youth and students’ involvement as part of partnerships for the next generation of agribusiness entrepreneurs.

In addition to bridging the research gaps in agriculture, she outlined AGRA’s commitment to supporting government efforts as well as initiatives from other stakeholder groups in building the next generation of agricultural scientists.

Ref: New generation agricultural scientist to propel food security in Africa