Africa-based AKADEMIYA2063 and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is going to see Africa’s data and analytical capacities beefed up in support of agricultural transformation and food security agenda. The agreement is also going to see relationship between the two organizations strengthened.
As part of the agreement, RUFORUM and AKADEMIYA2063 will leverage opportunities for internships and practical work experience for RUFORUM students as well as for joint research. The partnership will facilitate data and knowledge exchange between the staff of AKADEMIYA2063 and the staff and students of RUFORUM Secretariat and member universities. In particular, the two organizations, will develop and implement short-term training programs in economic modelling targeted at academic staff and post-graduate students from RUFORUM member universities.
Prof. Adipala Ekwamu, the Executive Secretary of RUFORUM highlights that the trainings are essential for students’ professional adventure and terms the partnership between the two organizations as a perfect opportunity for RUFORUM to achieve its aspiration of mobilizing researchers and students in contributing to supporting agricultural policies at regional and continental levels.
Africa’s policymakers have also not been left behind; in accordance with the agreement, RUFORUM will liaise with AKADEMIYA2063 to come up with academic curricula that respond to the needs of policymakers and work with local analytical networks that link knowledge supply to knowledge demand to RUFORUM’s member countries.
RUFORUM is a non-governmental consortium of 129 universities in Eastern, Central, Western & Southern Africa (ECWSA) whose mission is to strengthen the capacities of universities to foster innovations responsive to demands of small-holder farmers through the training of high-quality researchers, the output of impact-oriented research, and the maintenance of collaborative working relations among researchers, farmers, national agricultural research institutions, and governments. It is headquartered in Kampala, Uganda.
AKADEMIYA2063 is an Africa-based non-profit organization with headquarters in Kigali, Rwanda, and a regional office in Dakar, Senegal. AKADEMIYA2063’s mission is to provide data, policy analysis, and capacity-strengthening support to enable the AU Member States to achieve economic transformation and shared prosperity. More broadly, AKADEMIYA2063 leverages science, generates knowledge, and strengthens capacities to help advance the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Photo courtesy / RUFORUM
Article by Kefa Lemaiyan
Comment