AU Commission holds consultative meeting with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)

Addis Ababa, 19 August 2013– The African Union Commission and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), held today 19 August 2013 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Organized by the Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the AUC, the meeting discussed on opportunities and areas of collaboration between AUC and RUFORUM.

The meeting was chaired by DREA Commissioner, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, while the RUFORUM delegation was lead by Prof. Levi Nyagura, Chairman, RUFORUM.
Commissioner Tumusiime emphasised the importance of higher educational institutions engagement towards the implementation of different programmes that the AUC is involved. “Strengthening the knowledge base is very important for the implementation of our programmes, specifically the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and we want you to assist us”, she added.
Mrs. Tumusiime also reassured the commitment of DREA/AUC to work together with RUFORUM and emphasised the importance of strategic partnership.
Representing RUFORUM Prof. Nyagura underscored the commitment of RUFORUM to support the AUC in the area of agricultural programmes, including training and staff exchange programmes, among others.
RUFORUM is a consortium of 32 universities operating within 18 countries in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa established in 2004. The consortium had previously operated as a programme of the Rockefeller Foundation beginning in 1992. RUFORUM is registered in Uganda as International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). It has a mandate to oversee graduate training and networks of specialization in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries.