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PrAEctiCe project partner RUFORUM held their Triennial Conference in Windhoek, Namibia, from August 12th to 16th, 2024. Margherita Trestini, General Manager Apodissi attended the conference and had a booth to disseminate the project; Makerere University was also present. The conference’s theme was “Operationalising Higher Agricultural Education and Research Ecosystems for Innovation, Industrialisation and Economic Development in Africa: A Call for Action.”
PrAEctiCe partner representative Charles Tumuhe, Agricultural extension, training and rural development expert, AFSA participated in the conference and presented the project. During his address, he advocated for the co-creation and ownership of agricultural knowledge and the pursuit of food sovereignty through various agroecology policy strategies.
A particularly noteworthy parallel session was the AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue on higher agricultural education on the 14th of August. During Session 1, the focus was on the call to action to enhance Africa’s human and science capacity. Dr. Alfred Van Kent, Executive Director at the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Namibia, served as the session chair. In Session 2, the discussions revolved around policy frameworks and agendas aimed at strengthening Africa’s research and science capacity. This session was moderated by Prof. Ioannis Dimitriou, Vice President of Agrinatura and Senior Researcher. Lastly, Session 3 delved into convergence and future planning to reinforce Africa-European strategic partnerships for higher agricultural education, research for development, and policy. Dr. Petronella Chaminuka, Agricultural Research Council’s Acting Group Executive for Impact and Partnerships, South Africa, moderated this session.
The discussions revolved around several important themes: The importance of long-term commitment and interdisciplinarity as critical factors for fostering effective collaboration between the European Union (EU) and Africa, the crucial need for a two-way exchange of knowledge and capacity, strengthening cooperation with the private sector, active participation in program design and the pivotal role of exporting agricultural commodities from Africa to the EU market and ensuring access to scientific facilities, notably including quantum computing.
One of the key takeaways is the pressing need for Agroecology capacity building. During Thematic Area 3, Unlocking Inclusive and Broad-Based Economic Opportunity, the question “Is an inclusive and diverse growth possible for Africa? Lessons learnt over the past decades of the continental renaissance” was explored. It was concluded that significant expansion is required to connect universities by developing regional and continental programs, approaches, and research. Additionally, there is a call to integrate university education with national agriculture organisations and extension programs. Expanding regional research approaches and integrating traditional knowledge and on-the-job experience is also necessary. It was highlighted that there is a shortage of extension workers, with a ratio of 1 worker for every 2,000 farmers and a need for more adequate knowledge. As a result, it is important to integrate agriculture vocational training programs into the African TVET strategy.
