The project consortium consists of 7 partner HEIs and RUFORUM (the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture).
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi is the pioneer institution of University education in Kenya and the region. UoN develops and evolves strong, diversified academic programmes and specializations in sciences, applied sciences, technology, humanities, social sciences and the arts. To date, the range of programmes offered number approximately two hundred. The university is proud of its distinguished record of achievements in teaching, research, development and consultancy while strategizing for a greater future as the centre of academic, research and professional excellence.
Egerton University
Egerton University is a premier agricultural university in Kenya. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in Kenya founded as a Farm School in 1939 by Lord Maurice Egerton of Tatton. The institution was founded to create a center of agricultural knowledge in the country and, up to this date, it has furthered this mandate by establishing itself as the top agricultural learning institution in the country with continental and global recognition and accreditation. In addition to Agriculture, the University also houses eight other faculties and 51 academic departments offering a wide range of programmes at the diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.
South Eastern Kenya University
South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) was granted its Charter on 1st March 2013, with its Main Campus located on serene 10,000-acre land within the scenic Yatta Plateau in Kitui County, 155 kilometres from Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. The University has three other campuses which offer academic programmes at different levels. SEKU is a public university which spearheads training and research in agriculture and agri-business, health, and water resources management, premised on improving the socio-economic status of the local communities and beyond. SEKU offers market-driven academic programmes, which have attracted students from various ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Currently, the University has over 8,000 students distributed across 148 academic programmes covering certificate, diploma, undergraduate and graduate levels.
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia (UNZA) is the largest public University in Zambia established in 1966 with three major mandates: teaching, research, and community service. UNZA's mission is to provide relevant, innovative, and demand-driven higher education for socio-economic development. Currently, the University has 13 schools and 30,000 students, inclusive of both regular and distance learning students. The School of Agricultural Sciences is uniquely positioned to contribute to Zambia's national development through an economically and sustainable agricultural sector.
Mulungushi University
Mulungushi University was established by the government in 2008 as the third public University in Zambia. The University works toward providing knowledge, technology, skills, competencies, and attitudes required to steer the country towards achieving the economic, social, and political goals, enshrined in the national development plans and vision 2030. The University has seven faculties and approximately 8,000 students, consisting of 3000 full-time students and 5000 students on distance learning. There are 350 academic and support staff employed by the University.
Häme University of Applied Sciences
Häme University of Applied Sciences is a multidisciplinary university with over 7000 students and over 600 staff. HAMK's mission is to provide professional higher education geared to support students' professional development, the requirements and developments of the world of work, and to carry out important applied research and development activities at the regional, national and global levels. In addition, HAMK conducts high-quality research in close collaboration with the business sector. HAMK's roots lie in agriculture, as it has provided agricultural education since 1840. HAMK's seven campuses are situated centrally in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area of southern Finland.
Aalto University
Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. By merging three leading Finnish universities in 2010, Aalto was founded to work as a societally embedded research university. The University aims at contributing to the solution of societal challenges, promoting social responsibility and sustainability across all of its activities. Aalto Global Impact is the unit that develops Aalto University's research and educational outreach for societal impact in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It does so by fostering international collaboration and projects, such as PBL-BioAfrica, together with Aalto schools, faculties, and education programmes.
RUFORUM
The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), established by ten Vice Chancellors in 2004, is a consortium of 129 African universities operating within 38 countries spanning the African continent. RUFORUM is coordinated by a Secretariat hosted by Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The organisation evolved from its predecessor, the Forum on Agricultural Resource Husbandry (FORUM) programme of the Rockefeller Foundation. RUFORUM is registered as an International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and has a mandate to oversee graduate training. In July 2014, RUFORUM signed a cooperation agreement with the African Union to support the implementation of the new African Union for Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa, 2024 (STISA 2024). RUFORUM supports universities to address the important and largely unfulfilled role that universities play in contributing to the well‐being of small‐scale farmers and economic development of countries throughout the sub‐ Saharan Africa region.