Botswana is set to host the 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) from December 1–5, 2025, in what promises to be a landmark event for African higher education and its role in continental transformation.

Held under the theme, “Positioning Africa’s Universities and the Higher Education Sector to Effectively Impact Development Processes on the Continent,” the five-day gathering will bring together over 600 delegates from across Africa and beyond—including university leaders, researchers, policymakers, students, private sector actors, and development partners.

Co-hosted by the Government of Botswana in partnership with the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), University of Botswana (UB), and the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), the AGM comes at a critical time when African universities are being called upon to tackle urgent development challenges—particularly in agriculture, science, innovation, and youth employment.

While the RUFORUM AGM traditionally serves as a governance platform for its 163-member university network, this year’s edition is designed as a multi-track event, blending innovation showcases, investor engagements, policy dialogues, and strategic planning sessions. The agenda reflects a broader ambition: to reposition African universities as key drivers of development in line with Agenda 2063 and upcoming post-CAADP frameworks (2026–2035).

Key Sub-Themes of RUFORUM 2025:

1. Strategic Partnerships for Growth
   – Featuring panels on South–South and North–South collaborations with entities such as China, New Zealand, the EU, and North America to foster global academic and innovation linkages.

2. Science for Development
   – Highlighting cutting-edge university research, science-based agri-business case studies, and commercialisation efforts through investor pitch sessions and digital transformation initiatives.

3. Training Africa’s Next Agri-Food Leaders
   – Exploring how to harmonise research infrastructure, boost academic mobility, and establish regional Centres of Excellence to prepare the next generation for leadership in sustainable food systems.

4. RUFORUM Governance and Strategy
   – Conducting formal business meetings, including updates from statutory organs, Deans and Principals Committees, and strategy workshops to shape the Forum’s future direction.

Speaking ahead of the AGM, Prof. Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary of RUFORUM, emphasised the event’s transformational agenda:

“Our universities are central to Africa’s development. This AGM is about making higher education more responsive, more inclusive, and more impactful.”

As Africa moves deeper into the implementation of Agenda 2063 and looks beyond the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the RUFORUM 2025 AGM in Botswana is positioned as a milestone in redefining the role of African universities, not just as academic institutions, but as strategic architects of Africa’s future.

 

Article by RB Reporter

Photo/RUFORUM

https://news.ruforum.org/botswana-to-host-the-21st-ruforum-annual-general-meeting/