By Maureen Agena War, migration, and prolonged conflict have disrupted higher education across Africa, leaving millions of young people without stable pathways to learning or employment. In countries such as South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and the Central African Republic, many universities have been destroyed or repurposed, lecturers displaced, and entire cohorts of students forced to abandon their studies. For many, the journey into exile whether to Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, or beyond, comes with additional barriers such as lost academic records, unfamiliar education systems, and limited financial support. As conflicts continue to uproot families and […]

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RUFORUM 2025 AGM – Gaborone, Botswana:  Dumelang! With this warm Setswana greeting, an assembly of continental educators, scholars, partners, governments and researchers were officially welcomed to the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC). The event is hosted by the Government of Botswana under the theme ‘Positioning Africa’s Universities and the Higher Education Sector to effectively impact development processes on the continent’.   In its 21st edition, the RUFORUM AGM places deliberate emphasis on doing things differently, challenging long-standing approaches in order to accelerate progress and deepen partnerships across the continent. Throughout the programme, […]

By Maureen Agena The African Union’s Agenda 2063 articulates a clear continental ambition, to unlock Africa’s potential to feed itself and to harness the transformative power of its greatest asset, its people. While natural resources remain abundant and diverse, Africa’s long-term prosperity hinges on the strategic cultivation of human capital through robust, forward-looking education systems. Like many governments across the continent, the Government of Botswana, the host of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)’s 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM) aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger and no poverty. It also upholds the […]

By Maureen Agena RUFORUM 2025 AGM – Gaborone, Botswana: Across the continent, universities in Africa are graduating a rapidly expanding cohort of PhD and postdoctoral researcher scientists whose work will influence health systems, food security, climate resilience, and technological innovation. Yet, even as the demand for scientific leadership grows, structured leadership and mentorship training for early-career researchers remains thin, inconsistent, or in many cases, entirely absent. When many young scientists become deeply immersed in their research and receive little guidance on the leadership skills that shape successful academic and scientific communities, a leadership problem emerges. To respond to this emerging […]

Read the full articles here: RUFORUM 21ST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2025 Fieldtrip RUFORUM 21ST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2025  Announcement: Transformative Teaching of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)

Hosts: The Government of Botswana; and RUFORUM member Universities in Botswana led by Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Venue: Gaborone International Conference Center, Moremi 1, Gaborone, Botswana Date: 3rd December 2025 Time: 14.00-16.30 SAT Read the concept note here

Read the full concept note here.

RUFORUM 2025 AGM – Gaborone, Botswana:  What was meant to be an ordinary field visit for participants of the RUFORUM AGM 2025 side events on 29 November 2025, quickly evolved into a vivid demonstration of the promising green economic potential that Safflower holds for poverty eradication. As participants walked through the safflower fields and listened to the testimonials of famers on the outskirts of Gaborone, new ideas and opportunities began to take shape.  Professor, Vallantino Emongor, Principal Investigator, Crop and Soil Sciences Department, from BUAN gave participants an information brief on Safflower For many smallholder farmers, safflower has become a […]

      Key Insights from the GLeMA Leadership Capacity Development Workshop for University Managers RUFORUM 2025 AGM – Gaborone, Botswana: The two-day Leadership Capacity Development Workshop for Principals, Deans, programme coordinators and other university leaders organized by RUFORUM under the Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev 2.0) programme in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, surfaced a set of critical emerging issues shaping the future of leadership in African higher education. As the pilot phase of the RUFORUM Governance, Leadership and Management Academy (GLeMA) unfolds, the workshop deliberated on the growing urgency for leadership models […]

1Prof. Theresia Nkuo-Akenji, Vice-Chancellor, & 2Prof. Emmanuel Suh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Teaching, Professionalization and Development of Information and Communication Technology. The University of Bamenda. P.O. Box 39 Bambili, North West Region, Cameroon Introduction The development challenges faced by Cameroon resonate with those of many African nations. In the context of the knowledge economy, universities are increasingly expected to address pressing societal and community needs. There is a growing recognition of this expectation, fueled by a shift away from paradigms established during the colonial and immediate post-colonial periods. In Cameroon, this transition has been significantly influenced by the enactment of the Law […]

Read the full concept note here  

Read the full concept note here

Read the full concept note here

Phoster Sichalia, Mayeso Kachingweb, Cecilia Nyirendab, Edah Lunguc, Linda Chokothob, Duncane Batizanib, Wongani Langab, Petros Chigwechokhab   aDepartment of Nutrition, Ministry of Health, Malawi bMalawi University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 5196, Limbe, Malawi cThe International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Kenya Corresponding author: Petros Chigwechokha (pchigwechokha@must.ac.mw) TAGDev 2.0 Think Tank Series Paper #3 1.0 Introduction Malawi faces a double burden of malnutrition with persistent undernutrition (37% stunting and 12% wasting) at the same time rising rates of overweight and obesity, which contribute to diet-related non-communicable diseases. The Malawian government recognises nutrition as a key enabler […]

                                 1Cheo Emmanuel Suh, 2Pride Ndasi Ngwasiri, 3Victor Ngu Cheo & Anthony Egeru4 TAGDev 2.0 Program Coordinator and Deputy Vice Chancellor-Teaching, Professionalization and Development of Information and Communication Technology, University of Bamenda, Cameroon TAGDev 2.0 Associate Program Officer, Head, Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, University of Bamenda, Cameroon TAGDev 2.0 Communication Officer, Director of Academic Affairs, The University of Bamenda, Cameroon Program Manager-Skilling and Engagement for Community Development, RUFORUM Secretariat, Uganda TAGDev 2.0 Think Tank Series Paper #2   Introduction Human capital—the skills, […]

Keba Hulela, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Botswana Might Kojo Abreh, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana Miriam Ogah, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana Could it be argued that universities across Africa are at a critical juncture? The traditional model of higher education is facing unprecedented scrutiny from all sides, particularly from society, mainly made up of the general public and employers. There is a palpable crisis of perceived quality, with a growing number of university graduates being seen as lacking the requisite skill set necessary for the demands of the modern workforce. Concurrently, students are questioning the very […]

Lessons from the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development Prof. Jan-Willem Swanepoel et al. University of the Free State, South Africa TAGDev 2.0 Think Tank Series Paper #1 Executive Summary African universities face a persistent challenge: the gap between aspirational mission statements and operational reality. Institutions proclaim ambitions to become ‘world-class universities,’ ‘centers of excellence,’ or ‘people-centered institutions driving development,’ yet when pressed to define what these terms mean operationally—how they translate into daily practice, resource allocation, and measurable outcomes—many struggle to articulate concrete answers. This paper addresses seemingly simple but fundamentally important questions: What does ‘research-led’ actually mean […]

Day 1, 17 November: Forum 2 – Building Resilient and inclusive Agri-food systems in the face of climate and economic shocks Day 2, 18 November: Forum 1 – Building Resilient and inclusive Agri-food systems in the face of climate and economic shocks Programme: https://news.ruforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SCIENTIFIC-FORUM-AGM-2025-PROGRAMME-DAY-2-.pdf Day 2, 18 November: Forum 2 – Energy Transitions for productive and Sustainable Agri-food Systems Green Energy Transition for sustainable agricultural Systems and Climate Action Day 3, 19 November: Forum 1 – Building Resilient and Inclusive Agri-Food Systems in the Face of Climate and Economic Shocks Day 3, 19 November: Forum 3 – Artificial intelligence, data […]

The week of 17th – 21st November 2025 marked the official kick-off of a series of RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM) pre-events, sending ripples of anticipation across Africa’s agricultural innovation landscape. The blended meetings draw together the vast RUFORUM Network, and other key stakeholders of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) to share space, exchange insights, and formulate a roadmap to accelerate efforts towards a resilient, sustainable and future-ready agri-food system for Africa. The week was launched with a Scientific Forum, showcasing Africa’s growing scientific power. Researchers from across the continent presented breakthrough work on how Artificial Intelligence (AI), data […]