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 […]

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The 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM) convened in Gaborone, Botswana from 1st – 5th December 2025, set the scene for renewed commitment to doing things differently in repositioning Africa’s universities as engines of transformation. Guided by the theme “Positioning Africa’s Universities and Higher Education Sector to Effectively Impact Development Processes on the continent,” the AGM brought together 1,112 participants (34% female) from 45 countries, among them, government ministers, 85 Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors, senior university leaders, researchers, industry players, students and development partners. Together, they advanced concrete actions to strengthen the role of Africa’s higher education in […]

Dr. Sadik Kassim  National Agricultural Research Organisation, Uganda Discussant during a Plenary Session on Nurturing talent, RUFORUM AGM 3rd December 2025, Gaborone, Botswana Introduction I am happy to participate at RUFORUM’s 21st Annual General meeting held under the theme ‘’Positioning Africa’s Universities and the Higher Education Sector to effectively impact development processes on the continent’’. I am particularly pleased to be a discussant during the plenary session on the theme ‘’Leadership for Science’’ and focusing on the topic, From Doctoral Education to National Science Leadership. I ought to share my experiences and career shaped by RUFORUM as an alumnus. These […]

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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