Members News – Page 3 – ACE – Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence

Members of the Executive Board of the Association

November 8, 2021November 25, 2021

CERSA Alumni Association officially launched

The alumni association of the Regional Centre of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA) of the University of Lomé was officially launched on 19 August.

The CERSA Alumni Association, which brings together former students who have obtained their Master’s and/or Doctorate at the Regional Centre of Excellence on Avian Sciences (CERSA) of the University of Lomé, was officially launched on 19^thAugust 2021. The ceremony took place virtually, with selected members physically attending the ceremony whilst adhering to all COVID-19 regulations and guidelines.

Professor Kafui KPEGA, Vice President of the University of Lome addressing the audience

In his welcome address, the Centre Director, Prof. Kokou Tona stated that “CERSA graduates are dedicated to improving the poultry sector and ready to address its challenges.” Prof. Tona reassured the audience that “CERSA is determined to provide innovative ways of conducting research as well as training focused on solving the problems facing the poultry sector”.

Addressing the former students, Professor Kafui KPEGA, 2nd Vice-President representing the President of the University of Lomé entreated the graduates to be exemplary ambassadors of the center. He said, “You will not only have to represent your center with dignity as its ambassadors in your different countries but also you will have to reflect wherever necessary the requirements of rigor, discipline and skills, credo of our institution. Your actions on the ground should confirm the growing good reputation of the University of Lomé in general and CERSA in particular among academic actors in Africa and elsewhere.”

In his remarks, the President of Alumni CERSA, Mr. Bamela Mawoulom TOKOFAÏ noted that, the Association aims to provide a network of poultry science professionals committed to enhancing the African poultry sector with innovative initiatives. He said, “the vision that drives us is that of a professional network of international reference at the service of quality poultry professional training, open to all and working for the professional integration of graduates, and for sustainable development and the development of all. He further noted that, “the general objective of the network is to facilitate the professional integration and mobility of graduates by putting them in contact with each other in a continuous and mutually enriching way, with partner companies, and to allow them to support and learn about the evolution and innovations of the poultry sector”.

Alumni CERSA has numerous members from 11 countries in East, West and Central Africa including Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo.

The Association’s Strategic Plan comprises the official registration of the network, the coordination of activities in all countries where members reside, support to members’ professional progression, the establishment of framework for writing poultry projects and the organization of scientific and/or commercial conferences and symposia.

Also, Secretary General, representing the Minister of Higher Education and Research Prof. Koffi AGBENOTO, urged the members of the association to embark on poultry entrepreneurship, and to initiate innovative projects to become their own employers, and create jobs for other young people.

Authorities present at the ceremony, called on the CERSA graduates to assume a major role in promoting the poultry sector on the continent in a context where imports of poultry products are still heavy in the trade balance of African countries.

Prof. Kokou TONA, Director of CERSA during his presentation

November 8, 2021November 25, 2021

CERSA Shares it Activities and Vision with the Group of Francophone Ambassadors based in Togo

The Regional Centre of Excellence for Poultry Sciences (CERSA) hosted by the University of Lomé was introduced to the Group of Francophone Ambassadors based in Togo (GAF Togo) and the Regional Representation of La Francophonie.

The centre’s activities were presented to these diplomats accredited to Togo. The GFA Togo includes the Ambassadors of Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Egypt, France, Gabon, Niger, the DRC and Senegal as well as the Regional Representation of La Francophonie.

According to the Ambassador of Gabon, President of the GFA Togo, Mr. Sayid Abdeloko, this approach allows diplomatic missions to have information on ways and means to promote the poultry sector in their respective countries, with the support of CERSA. “Today, the consumption and supply of poultry products to the population is low and forces our countries to import them from Europe and America. CERSA is an African tool that will support us in the transfer of knowledge and training in poultry. We must look closely at what kind of partnership our countries have, including the ministries of agriculture” said ambassador Sayid Abeloko of Gabon.

H.C. Mr. Sayid Abeloko, Ambassador of Gabon to Togo

Prof. Kokou TONA, Director of CERSA noted that ” We plan to establish agreements and other partnership agreements that will allow us to train Master’s and Doctoral level graduates and professionals to promote the development of the poultry sector in the different countries.”

The Regional Centre for Poultry Sciences (CERSA) aims to train graduates in poultry sciences and professionals in the poultry sector. About 150 Master’s graduates and about 50 PhD students and more than 1200 poultry technicians have been trained by CERSA so far. These poultry science graduates and technicians come from nearly fifteen countries in West and Central Africa.

November 8, 2021November 25, 2021

CDA Collaborates with Partners to Address Food Insecurity

The Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) has collaborated with its partners to address the challenges of food insecurity affecting Nigeria and other African countries. UK based LINKS Program and Silvex International have expressed their unwavering commitment to strengthening their partnership with the CDA by coming up with workable strategies to address the food shortages, which have been exacerbated by climate change.

Commemoration of World Food Day by CDA: The Centre commemorated the 2021 World Food Day with a Symposium titled: Food Security in the Face of a Changing Climate: Northern Nigeria in Perspective. World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. The day is also observed by organizations like World Food Programme and International Fund for Agricultural Development. Since 1981, World Food Day has been celebrated under various themes to highlight the importance of food security, with most of them revolving around agriculture.

The Director of CDA, Professor Jibrin Mohammed Jibrin, in his remarks, said the centre joined the rest of the world to commemorate the day by organizing a symposium to discuss topical issues related to food security in Nigeria. He said the symposium would create awareness of the challenges being faced especially on food security and climate change. CDA invited key stakeholders to brainstorm and come up with solutions that would be beneficial to policymakers and private sector actors to address these challenges.

In his presentation titled: 2021 Growing Season: Forecast, Reality and the Role of NIMET, the Director General of Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Professor Mansur Bako, said the seasonal climate prediction being produced by NIMET is in fulfillment of one of its core mandates. He stated that NIMET monitors weather and climate in Nigeria and provides authoritative meteorological information for sustainable development and safety of life and property.

Professor. Bako, who spoke virtually stated that the wide range of applications of NIMET’s products and services made weather and climate information a relevant input in agriculture and almost all the sustainable development goals, including education.

He said that most states in Nigeria experienced below normal rainfall this year, as had already been predicted by NIMET and communicated to the farmers for them to take appropriate measures.

Presenting an Overview of LINKS/FCDO Climate Smart Agriculture Projects, the Team Lead of the Links Project, Andrew Thorburn said the project aims to transform strategic value chains to improve resilience and reduce climate impact through systems of rice intensification, regenerative agriculture platforms, and sustainable fibre alternatives for cotton.

Speaking on behalf of Silvex International, the Managing Director, Abubakar Usman Adam, mentioned that the company is investing in farm estates for a newly launched program in Jigawa and Nasarawa states which is aimed at bridging the gap in food production efficiency amidst climate change challenges.

November 8, 2021November 29, 2021

CDA Develops Seven (7) New Early Growth Groundnut Seeds for African Farmers

The Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) of Bayero University (BUK) in Kano (Nigeria) has developed seven early growth groundnut seeds for farmers. The centre also unveiled improved seed varieties of sorghum, beans and millet at the centre’s Farmers’ Field Day held on Wednesday, 6^th October, 2021.

The Field Day was aimed at showcasing the newly improved seedlings developed by the centre to farmers and extension workers in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Several factors have been identified as the reason for the decline in groundnut production in Nigeria such as drought, rosette virus, general neglect of agriculture due to oil boom, and lack of organized input. However, the CDA in collaboration with International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Zaria, and Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), sponsored by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation took the challenge to revive the production of groundnut by providing new improved seeds to farmers for sustainable production under the AVISA Project.

According to the Director of CDA, Professor Jibrin Muhammad Jibrin, the new seed varieties are drought resistant and if properly used, will help Nigeria, and by extension, Africa, to achieve food sufficiency.

“The seeds are pests and diseases resistant, grow early and lead to bumper harvests. If these seed varieties are used, farmers have the potential of yielding bigger harvests from the same lands they are using the traditional seed varieties. The groundnut we developed for instance has the dual purpose of more crop yield and bigger leaves that could be used as animal feed,” Professor Jibrin added.

Professor Jibrin Muhammad Jibrin image — Professor Jibrin Muhammad Jibrin

The centre director, Prof. Jibrin M. Jibrin stated that “the centre has already adopted about 22 communities from the university’s neighborhood as models for testing the new seeds.” The Principal Investigator of the Project, Professor Sanusi Gaya Mohammed, in his remarks, said that through their research process, they screen the seeds and come up with those that will be given to seed companies to multiply their production for farmers use.

Professor Mohammed, the Deputy Director of Training at CDA, mentioned that apart from groundnut seeds, the CDA has been supporting the farmers with cowpea, beans, and millet seeds which have significantly improved their yields.

On her part, the Deputy Director, Outreach and Publications, Professor Amina Mustapha, said that the AVISA Project is one of many outreach programmes the centre runs, alongside collaborations with many partners in Nigeria and around the world.

Prof. Mustapha said that the CDA has been engaging its 22 adopted companies with modern agricultural farming methods, empowerment of improved seeds, as well as skills and training that improve their production and expand their awareness. She said the centre would continue to give emphasis to its outreach activities.

The Country Director of ICRISAT, Dr. Hakeem Ajeigbe urged the farmers to critically look at the seeds in order to give their feedback to the researchers. He said it would really benefit the research activities.

Also speaking, Professor Yeye of Institute of Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria, said the AVISA Project aims to improve the research activities through the use of various tools and application to enhance the process. It also aims to provide the seeds to farmers and educate them on the use and application in order to improve the yields.

Others who spoke were Professor Daniel Aba of IAR, Dr. Abou Togola, and Ado Garba from the Kano Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (KNARDA).

Farmers interviewed expressed appreciation to the CDA and its partners for helping with the improved seeds. They expressed optimism that they would adopt the new improved seeds so that the production of groundnut and other crops would be on higher scale in Nigeria.

November 8, 2021November 29, 2021

WACCI spearheads the adoption of game-changing hybrid tomato varieties to ensure sustainable agriculture for the future

Three hybrid tomato varieties (AVTO1866 (Ante Dede), AVTO1870 (Legon Tomato) and AVTO1871 (Tomato Queen)) developed by the World Vegetable Centre, a partner of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) are being considered for release in Ghana following multilocational trials and submission to the National Variety Release and Registration Committee (NVRRC), Ministry of Food and Agriculture by WACCI .
Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, the Director of WACCI, in an address during a visit by the NVRRC to WACCI charged the Government of Ghana to invest in the agriculture commodity value chain to ensure that “game-changing” crop varieties such as these new tomato hybrids get to farmers across Ghana within the shortest possible time. “If you do not invest in the tomato value chain, these varieties will not go to the farmers in good time. That should not be the case”, Prof. Danquah said.
In his address, Mr. Seth Osei-Akoto, Chairman of the NVRRC highlighted how impressed he was with WACCI’s growth over the past years and praised the Centre for these new tomato hybrids but maintained that there still remained the challenge of getting farmers and consumers to accept hybrid tomato varieties. He charged scientists to develop strategies to understand the farmers needs and develop varieties that could meet those demands.

Mr Seth Osei-Akoto, Chairman of the NVRRC delivering his opening remarks

Dr. Leander Dede Melomey, a member of the WACCI hybrid tomato team led the NVRRC delegation to the field to inspect the hybrid tomatoes and later presented research findings from the multi-locational trials the team had conducted. Following rigorous scrutiny, Mr. Osei-Akoto announced that the three hybrid tomato varieties had been approved for recommendation for release and cultivation in the Coastal Savannah regions of Ghana.

Dr. Melomey presenting the trial hybrid tomato field to members of the NVRRC

In response to the approval of the hybrid tomato varieties, Professor Danquah congratulated the team and charged the Government of Ghana to fast track the ending of food importation by supporting local institutions like WACCI.
The WACCI hybrid tomato team consists of the following: Dr. Agyemang Danquah [Coordinator, Research (Academic Programmes) WACCI], Dr. Leander Dede Melomey (Postdoctoral Fellow, WACCI) and Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah (Director, WACCI).

Some of the hybrid tomatoes ready for harvesting

November 5, 2020November 5, 2020

Call for Applications – RWESK Centre Fellows

Background

The Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) is a Regional Centre of Excellence at the Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. The Centre specializes in the delivery of high-quality post-graduate programmes at the PhD and MSc level as well as professional development courses in Water and Sanitation. As part of its mandate, the Centre engages in high quality research in water and environmental sanitation relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Africa Union Agenda 2063. RWESCK has strong local academic and industrial partners as well as solid international relations with top Universities across the globe.

RWESCK intends to harness the expertise of local and international faculty members and entrepreneurs to collaborate with the Centre to deliver high quality academic, research and entrepreneurial activities for mutual benefits.

The Centre therefore has the pleasure to invite eligible applicants, both local and international as Fellows of the Centre.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates should have the following minimum qualification;

A PhD in a discipline related to the research themes of the Centre;

Theme 1: Innovative Water Treatment Technology
Theme 2: Innovative Water Distribution and Smart Technology
Theme 3: Environmental Sanitation and Waste Management Technology
Theme 4: Climate Resilience and Water Resources Management
Theme 5: Water and Sanitation Governance

Relevant professional experience related to the above themes
Must have supervised both undergraduate and graduate students
Must have publications in high impact journals
Must demonstrate evidence of grantsmanship
Must demonstrate strong linkages with local and/or international partners
Applicants with a minimum of Masters degree but have a minimum of 10 years post qualification experience in entrepreneurship or business development will be considered. Such applicants must show evidence of business incubation, innovations and technology development in areas related to the above themes.

Core duties

Eligible candidates would be required to collaborate with the Centre in one or more of the following areas;

Joint supervision of postgraduate students
Joint publications
Delivery of PhD and MSc course
Design and delivery of short courses
Delivery of technical workshops and webinars
Grant writing
Intellectual Property/Patent
Mentoring of Early Career Faculty
Mentoring of PhD and MSc students
Community engagement

Interested applicants should submit their application via the link (Here!) by Monday, November 30, 2020.

April 4, 2018

Invitation to Academic Faculty: The 2018 Education Collaborative Annual Workshop

THE 2018 EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE ANNUAL WORKSHOP
Hosted by Ashesi University, Berekuso, Ghana
From 25-29 June 2018
Focusing on “Facilitating Inclusive Classrooms”

We are inviting Provosts, Heads of Department, Academic Faculty, Teachers/Facilitators, and Faculty Trainers from Higher Educational Institutions across Africa to come and collaboratively share and co-design pedagogy to:

Make learning relatable
Make learning engaging
Make learning relevant and current

BACKGROUND

As a pioneer in blending the liberal arts and sciences in Africa, Ashesi University is recognised across the world as a model for higher education on the African continent.

The aim of the Education Collaborative Annual Workshop is to serve as a platform for Higher Education Institutions in Africa to engage and share with each other, best practices in teaching, learning, and university management. The pilot Education Collaborative at Ashesi was held in June of 2017, and 12 institutions participated. This year’s event will be held from 25-29 June 2018 and will focus on “Facilitating Inclusive Classrooms”.

WHY THE FOCUS ON FACILITATING INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS?

To facilitate effective learning, the classroom environment must evolve to match the diversity in student population and increasing access to technology. This year’s collaborative is aimed at creating a platform for institutions looking to share and co-design strategies and tools for Facilitating Inclusive Classrooms. Sessions will be case-based and will be led by faculty of varied institutions from around Africa, and the world sharing tools and strategies they have tried in their classrooms with their students.

WHO MUST ATTEND?

Provosts, Faculty and classroom facilitators, Heads of faculty, Faculty trainers and others interested in improving their facilitator skills.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

Participants should expect Engaging Workshop Sessions, Hands-On Practical, Co-design tools and Empirical Case-based learning. During the 5 Days Residential workshop the following Session Topics will be covered:

Engaging learners with diverse learning styles and needs
Managing large classrooms (over 100 students)
Using current accessible technology in teaching and learning

ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISITES?

For a relatable and beneficial experience, collaborators attending must submit a problem statement of interest related to one or more of the session topics.

WHERE WILL THE 2018 EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE ANNUAL WORKSHOP BE HELD?

It will be held at the Ashesi university Campus in Berekuso, Ghana.

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?

WHAT ARE THE COSTS?

Cost includes hotel accommodation, meals, conference material and transportation to and from campus.

Ghana Participants: GHC 3,500*
African Institutions: US$1,000*
International Institutions: US$1,200*

*Discounts apply for institutions that register by the first round deadline with two or more participants, and for members of the council of independent universities. Financial assistance though limited is available on a case-by-case basis for institutions on the African continent.

Member institutions of the AAU will receive an additional 15% discount through to the second round deadline.

WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?

Early round registration deadline: March 30, 2018
Regular registration deadline: May 21, 2018
Late registration: Dependent on space

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

For more information visit ashesi.edu.gh/edc
Email Rose Dodd at rdodd@ashesi.edu.gh or education.collaborative@ashesi.edu.gh
Or Call/WhatsApp Rose on: +233 027 121 7344
Download the 2018 Concept Note: 2018 Concept Note