The Sixth African Higher Education Week and RUFORUM Biennial Conference was successfully concluded on 26th October 2018 at the Kenya International Convention Center in Nairobi with closing remarks from H.E. the Deputy President of Kenya, Dr. William Samoei Arap Ruto.  The Conference attracted 1107 participants including 20 ministers responsible for education, science and technology from African countries, 30 senior government officials and experts, 105 Vice Chancellors, 110 Principals and Deans, 530 students, and representatives of farmer organizations/ cooperatives, the private sector/ industry and civil society from over 50 countries. Twenty (20) preconference and side events were held, Six (6) meetings of the RUFORUM statutory organs, 67 exhibitions, 414 Posters, twelve (12) Plenary Sessions and eighteen (18) Technical Parallel Sessions were held. The Conference recommended enhanced sharing of knowledge, lessons and experiences with international and regional partners; strengthening agribusiness innovation in Africa for employment creation for young people through self-employment and the creation of new employment opportunities; making use of academic mobility to accelerate the training of a critical mass of well qualified faculty in Africa; partnership to strengthen university participation in Intellectual Property management; and strengthening use of ICTs to improve the decentralization of teaching and learning in Africa.

For more details of the outcomes of the Conference, download the summary presentation of the Conference here, Conference Communique in French and English  and the Ministerial Communique in  French and English

The Biennial Conference is RUFORUM’s most comprehensive meeting for the diversity of stakeholders in both agriculture and higher education sectors. It is especially dedicated to graduate students and their supervisors, grantees in RUFORUM member universities and alumni. It is a platform for peer review, quality control, mentorship, networking and shared learning.