By: Ifeanyi Monyei – Group head, Strategy and Growth (Venture Garden Group & Greenhouse Capital Lois Nanono- Program Officer, Business Development Services- RUFORUM Secretariat                                                   TAGDev 2.0 Think Tank Series Paper #5

It is with deep sadness that the RUFORUM Secretariat learnt about the passing of Ms. Pamela Tumwebaze, the Director of Student Affairs at our member university – Uganda Christian University. On behalf of all the colleagues at the RUFORUM Secretariat and Network, the Executive Secretary extends deep-felt condolences to the family and the university fraternity. Our prayers are with the family and university community during this trying time. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

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By: Ifeanyi Monyei – Group head, Strategy and Growth (Venture Garden Group & Greenhouse Capital Lois Nanono – Program Officer, Business Development Services- RUFORUM Secretariat Executive Summary Across Africa, we in the university community are grappling with a deep design problem that often presents itself as a cultural one. We celebrate innovation weeks, launch hubs and incubators, host pitch competitions, and articulate ambitious strategies around entrepreneurship. Yet the invisible operating system that shapes behaviour; our promotion criteria, resource allocation rules, legal protocols, assessment systems, and cultural signals still rewards academic insularity, risk avoidance, and conventional scholarship. The result is a […]

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By Evaline Acan When Naiga Harriet looks back on her journey, she sees more than academic milestones—she sees a story of resilience and a commitment to give back. Born and raised in a modest farming household in Wakiso District, Harriet is the last-born in a family of seven. Growing up, education often felt like a distant dream. Financial constraints meant that continuing in school was uncertain, and like many children from rural farming families, her future seemed fragile. That changed in 2002, when she was enrolled in the Compassion Uganda programme while in Primary Two. The support she received carried […]

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Abigael N. Otinga1*., Rick Gage2., Mercy Karanja2, Olivia Karanja2, Amsale Mengistu2 and Anthony Egeru1 1Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), Makerere University Main Campus, Plot 151/155 Garden Hill Road, Kampala 2MPATAPO Learning Community, 2312 West Boston Street, Apt 202 Seattle WA 98199 USA *Corresponding Author: a.otinga@ruforum.org TAGDev 2.0 Think Tank Series Paper #4 Introduction Across Africa, universities are being asked to do much more than produce graduates and publish papers. They are expected to catalyse inclusive, climate‑resilient transformation of agriculture and agri‑food systems, create decent work for a rapidly growing youth population, and contribute directly to national […]

Duncan Ongeng Department of Food Science and Postharvest Technology Gulu University, Uganda A snapshot In contemporary Africa, gone are the days when universities were largely seen as ivory towers driving the elitists’ agenda. Time has come for African higher education institutions to re-orient to reflect the practical realities of African societal development and transformation needs. This is particularly important because of the increasing demand for African universities to do more to facilitate co-creation and to mediate meaningful delivery of development-driven solutions enabling societal prosperity in the continent. This article brings to the fore the complex power wedges that entangle African […]

By Kipkogei Chemitei, Associate Program Officer, TAGDev 2.0 Program, University of Eldoret, Kenya Many agricultural universities in Kenya began as farmer training centres. Egerton University, founded in 1923, was established to build practical agricultural skills among settlers and local communities. University of Eldoret shares a similar history. A reference to the institution, then the Government Experimental Farm Eldoret, appears in the Kenya Gazette Notice Vol. 23, No. 754 of 2nd February 1921, when Mr. James Johnson was appointed as its manager. It was later converted into a Large-Scale Farmers’ Training Centre in 1946, before being transformed into Moi Teachers’ College […]

By Nimrod Muhanguzi, Program Officer Digital Economy Integration, RUFORUM Secretariat, Kampala Introduction The conversation around AI in education often tilts toward pessimism, with fears of job displacement, eroded critical thinking, and ethical pitfalls dominating headlines and social feeds. Yet beneath this, a growing chorus highlights transformative potential, including personalized learning at scale, equitable access in underserved regions, and tools that free educators to focus on what humans do best, inspiring and mentoring students. This thought piece draws on recent research and the State of AI Report 2025 to map “where the wind is blowing.” We shall unpack fears, counter with […]

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By Chinyelu Irene Nwokolo, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria During my first degree, some persons asked, “Why agriculture when your friends are chasing engineering or medicine?”, this story is just the perfect answer. For the past two (2) weeks I’ve been living in a whirlwind of meetings, discoveries, and connections at the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC) from 24th November to 5 th December 2025. It wasn’t just an AGM, it was a living classroom, a reminder that agriculture is a lifestyle, not a checkbox. “If you don’t own your narrative, nobody will […]