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RUFORUM  is challenged to respond to the rapid growth in diversity and numbers of its membership base and partnership arrangements in the face of increasing demands and declining availability of public finance and long-term development finance assistance. The RUFORUM 2030 Strategy seeks to ensure “vibrant transformative universities to catalyse sustainable inclusive agricultural development to feed and create prosperity for Africa”.  This mission is set within the context of the 2015 SDGs, Agenda... Read More 0

The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) hosted a dinner for Vice Chancellors of RUFORUM member universities, International Advisory Panel, Technical Committee and other dignitaries. Ministers of Education present during the event include Hon. Bright Msaka from Malawi, Hon. John Muyingo from Uganda and Hon. George Kronnisanyon Werner from Liberia. Amongst the distinguished speakers was LUANAR’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. George Kanyama-Phiri who welcomed the guests on behalf of the university.... Read More 0

A third planning meeting was held for the technical task team for the Committee of 10 Heads of State in Lilongwe, Malawi.  The aim of the meeting is to bring together the core technical team and stakeholders to discuss the preparedness for the Committee of 10 meeting as well as to agree on the key documents to be presented. Further, case studies from around Africa on the status of higher education, science... Read More 0

Much of agriculture in Africa is in the hands of poor, scattered populations served by inadequate infrastructure for agricultural research, outreach and training. The national institutions serving agriculture often lack the capacity to undertake research and technology transfer on a meaningful scale. In addition, much work undertaken in Africa is lost as a rapid turnover of staff (a consequence of poor working conditions and facilities) destroys institutional memory. This is huge burden... Read More 0

In the past ten years Africa has seen tremendous growth in the demand for higher education and this can be witnessed by the ever-growing numbers of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) both private and public. This situation has been fuelled by several factors which include free secondary education from various governments propelling a surge in the numbers that qualify for higher education, improved society and emergence of the knowledge economy. There are also... Read More 0

The African Union has announced 2017 as the year to invest in the demographic dividend of the continent – “its youth”. Two hundred and twenty-seven million of the world’s chronically hungry live in Africa. This translates to approximately 30% of this group globally. Seven out of ten people living in sub-Saharan Africa are farmers (compared to that of the United States, where the ratio is two out of a hundred.) Africa holds 30%... Read More 0

New technologies, expanding populations, urbanisation and more varied diets all coalesce to set the stage for opportunities that will enable Africa to take advantage of its youth dividend and meet the aspirations of Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want”. The current world agrifood system is inadequate – 815 million people hungry, 2 billion micronutrient deficient, and 700 million obese (108 million children) and yet the system still has high levels of waste... Read More 0

African higher education actors gathered in Pretoria, South Africa from 28th to 29th September 2017 to discuss a strategy for the implementation of the Regional Program for Strengthening Higher Agricultural Education in Africa (SHAEA) project and to lay out the practical steps necessary for its implementation, including activities at the regional level. The two-day consultative meeting was jointly convened by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a network... Read More 0

I, Mr David Ekepu, was born in a rural area of Eastern Uganda in what is now called Amuria district but spent most of childhood in Pallisa district where my father was working as a secondary school teacher. I attended pre-university education in the same area and only moved out of Eastern Uganda to join Makerere University – located in Central Uganda. During my undergraduate studies, I was inspired by several lecturers... Read More 0

Eligibility To be considered for the Borlaug Fellowship Program, candidates must: Be citizens of an eligible country Be fluent in English Have completed a Master’s or higher degree Be in the early or middle stage of their career, with at least two (but not more than 10) years of practical experience Be employed by a university, government agency or research entity in their home country Demonstrate their intention to continue working in their... Read More 0

We thank all authors who submitted short and extended abstracts for the Fifth African Higher Education Week and RUFORUM Biennial Conference that was held 17-21 October 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa.  We received close to 500 papers which were all subjected to peer review process. Following the reviews, we published in October 2016 the first batch of 130 papers in the RUFORUM Working Document Series Vol. 14 (Part 1). We are... Read More 0

For the first time since its inception in 1889, the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University has been ranked among Top 250 Agriculture Programmes Worldwide. The 2017 QS University Rankings report by subject ranks the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University in the range of 201-250 top university programmes Worldwide in the category of ‘Agriculture- Forestry’.  Cairo University is a member of RUFORUM since 2016. According to Prof. Hany El-Shemy, Dean of the Faculty... Read More 0

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has as a specific mandate the provision of evidence-based scientific advice to South African policymakers on matters of crucial scientific importance. Evidence-based study project activities thus form the core of the Academy’s function. This consensus study was initiated by the ASSAf Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Standing Committee, deriving from a deep concern about the status of agricultural education and training (AET)... Read More 0

As I and my active toddler daughter boarded the flight from the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, I felt nostalgic at first for leaving my family and friends behind, and fear of the unknown. As I got to Kigali International airport, I became anxious of how to manage my work-life balance. As the airplane touch-down at Entebbe International airport, I was determined to succeed in achieving my career goal- as a seasoned... Read More 0

The Council, Management and staff of the University of Zambia would like to profoundly congratulate Soil Microbiologist, Dr Alice Kabaso Mutiti Mweetwa, who has been honoured with the 2017 Young African Re-searchers and the 2016 National Science and Technology Merit Awards. This year, Dr Mweetwa has scooped the 2017 Young African Researchers Award for the category of Agriculture and Food Science. This is a continental recognition given by the Academy of Scientific... Read More 0

Every year, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a network of 66 universities in 26 African countries, holds an Annual General Meeting which offers an opportunity for its members, stakeholders, and partners to take stoke on the performance, relevance, and sustainability of the RUFORUM network.  This year the RUFORUM 13th Annual General Meeting will be held 25th-27th October, at Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi, jointly hosted... Read More 0

RUFORUM in collaboration with the University of Gezira organized for a four–day Scientific Data Management Training course. The training was held on 23rd – 26th August 2017 at the Agricultural Research Cooperation (ARC), Wad Medani, and Sudan. The aim was to enhance the ability of university staff and postgraduate students to report their research findings in a format that would ensure their wide dissemination as peer reviewed publications and for policy formulation.... Read More 0

Since the official launch of its Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) programme in 2014, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) has facilitated the placement of over 65 academic staff from across Africa on PhD programmes within the continent.  RUFORUM, in collaboration with its member universities, is committed to contributing to the wider objectives of increasing access and quality of post graduate programmes in Africa. To this end, the Vice... Read More 0

Deadline for submitting manuscripts for the next issue is 1 December 2017. Theme: Creating a forest landscape restoration movement in Africa: a call to heal planet Earth Aim and scope of Nature & Faune: Nature & Faune is a broad multidisciplinary publication on topics that are critical for achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. It is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and bilingual (English and French) publication of the FAO Regional Office for... Read More 0

Applications for the 2018 intake, open from 1 September 2017 – 15 January 2018 Australia Awards – Africa Short Courses Australia Awards – Africa Short Courses provide short-term training opportunities for African professionals in specialised fields. The objective of the Australia Awards – Africa Short Courses is to develop the capacity and leadership skills of Africans so they can contribute more effectively to development in their home countries. Course duration range between... Read More 0