The Sixth African Higher Education Week

22 - 26 October 2018. KICC,Nairobi, Kenya. The 2018 RUFORUM Biennial conference overall theme was “Aligning African Universities to accelerate attainment of Africa’s Agenda 2063”. 

The Conference provided an opportunity for universities to demonstrate their repositioning to responding to national and regional development needs including those of farmers and other allied sectors.

The youth and young researchers  had the opportunity to be exposed to practical entrepreneurship, skills capacity enhancement and mentorship. This can further accelerate innovative research careers, strengthen innovation for community impact, and strengthen research communication, publication and networking.

The Conference also engaged development partners and governments to articulate innovative funding mechanisms that propel university transformation for impact.

Extracts of the programme:

18 October 2018. Horizon 2020 Info Day: Funding opportunities for cooperation between Africa and Europe through Horizon 2020.

19 October 2018. WIPO Forum on Strengthening IP Management in African Universities [ Download ]

24 October 2018. Fostering multi-stakeholder engagement for impact (PAEPARD)

• Session moderator: Mrs. Monica Kapiriri Namumbya, Kampala, Uganda
• Introduction: Yemi Akinbamijo (see picture), FARA  
• Key note speaker: Dr. Richard Hawkins, Director ICRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Fostering multi-stakeholder engagement for impact Case Studies: 

1. The functions of communication in the multi-stakeholder partnerships – Thierry Helmer(see picture) (CIRAD) 
2. Community engagement with focus on African Indigenous Vegetables – Liz Kizito (see picture) (UCU) 
3. Benefits of having a SME in an MSP consortium – Arsene Savadogo (Bioprotect) 
4. Challenges and opportunities of engaging the sub-regional organization of farmers in MSP – Gustave Ewole (EAFF/PROPAC)

Panel discussion (see picture)

1. Mrs. Monica Brasser, WOTRO, The Netherlands: Funding in ARD. Do we have enough innovative funding mechanisms (e.g. ARF, LEAP-Agri, DeSIRA) helping ARD? What could be the role of private sector organizations, and their specific needs for that? 
2. Mr. Philip Kiriro, EAFF: The readiness of farmers to engage in ARD processes. 
3. Richard Hawkins,Director ICRA, Wageningen, The Netherlands: Is there science in MSP? 
4. Prof Joseph Hounhouingan (see picture) University of Abomey Calavi, Benin

25 October 2018. Increasing the pool of women scientists in Africa

Lead Speaker: Prof. Umezuruike Linus Opara, Stellenbosch University, South Africa 

PANELISTS 

1. Professor Alice Pell, Cornell University, USA 
2. Dr. Wanjiru Kamau Rutemberg, CEO, AWARD 
3. Prof. Christine Dranzoa, Vice Chancellor, Muni University, Uganda 
4. Dr Tade Aina, Executive Director, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research

Overview of other presentations (random) 

• A review Article: Fostering inter-disciplinary research to enhance rural smallholder farmer innovation and technology uptake intention using the farmer group approach (Sebuliba-Mutumba Richard rsemur@gmail.com) - Uganda
• Embracing partnership principles in regional and international research collaboration: theory and practice  Minde Isaac mindeisaac3@gmail.com -Tanzania
• Contribution of decentralized clean seed potato multiplication enterprises on availability and access to clean seed potato among smallholder farmers in Nakuru County (Ong’ayo Mercy Jerusa mercyjerusa@rocketmail.com)-Kenya
• Actor embeddedness and social mechanisms in agricultural innovation platforms: A case of Kiboga-Kyankwanzi innovation platform (Willy Turyahikayo wturyahikayo@mubs.ac.ug) -Uganda
• Increasing research, innovation and technology capacity in postharvest  Prof. Umezuruike Linus Opara, Stellenbosch University, South Africa) opara@sun.ac.za
• Improving the culinary quality of cowpea grains in Nigeria (Odogwu A. Blessing blessing.odogwu@uniport.edu.ng) - Nigeria
• Scaling up African baobab food products valuation through enhancement of their safety and value chains for food and nutritional security in Benin (West-Africa) Prof Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo (University Of Abomey-Calavi, Benin) 
• Knowledge dissemination on improvement of traditional complementary foods for proper child feeding (Mmari M Mercy mmarimercy@gmail.com) - Tanzania
• Towards development of market-led kersting’s groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal and Baudet] varieties in Benin (Agoyi Eric ericagoyi@gmail. com)- Benin
• Growth and survival rate of portable-hatchery-bred fry and fingerlings of oreochromis karongae in earthen ponds and tanks (Chinguo C.M. madachinguo@gmail. com)-Malawi
• Consumer perceptions and attitude towards packed milk product (Okello Robine okellorobine@gmail.com)- Uganda