[Photo credit: RUFORUM]

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) hosted the fourth biennial conference on July 19-25, 2014, in Maputo, Mozambique under the theme African Higher Education Week: Celebrating the contribution of African Universities and Partners to agricultural development in Africa. The week-long conference is also a celebration of RUFORUM’s 10-year anniversary as an African regional network that supports agricultural higher education.

Declared by the African Union, the year of 2014 is the Year of Agriculture and Food Security in Africa, marking the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The biennial conference provided a platform to reflect on the contributions of African universities and partners to agricultural development and food security in the continent. It was aiming to transform agriculture in Africa, which requires innovative scientific research, educational and training approaches, to connect the education sector to the new challenges facing rural communities, and to build capacity of young people to be part of the transformation of the agricultural sector.

During the conference, a community of scholars, policymakers, students, and practitioners from private sector came together to share experiences and lessons, explore effective and efficient approaches to better serve the continent, and review and discuss new ideas and initiatives for appropriate action. The key speakers included H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Rt. Hon. Alberto Vaquina, Prime Minister of Republic of Mozambique; HE Rhoda Tumusiime, Commissioner Agriculture and Rural Economy, African Union Commission; Hon. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Federal Republic of Nigeria; and others.

Dedicated to provide high-quality analyses and knowledge products in support of evidence -based planning and implementation of agricultural-sector policies and strategies in Africa, ReSAKSS actively participated in the conference by presenting its cutting-edge technologies, data, tools and other knowledge products with a wide range of audiences and engaging in discussions to motivate forward thinking in the development of information and communication technology (ICT) in Africa’s higher education.

For more information about the conference, please visit RUFORUM conference website.