Cohort One Student Profiles

Meet Cohort One 2017 Students

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation are implementing an eight year program “Transforming Agricultural Universities in Africa to meaningfully contribute to Africa’s growth and development (TAGDev)”. Under this program, 220 students will be trained as part of training the next generation of AgLeaders for Africa in Africa through an innovative agricultural training model. In this edition, a cohort of the first 30 students from eight countries; Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda are presented.

Jaka Margaret Loruk is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science programme in Food and Agribusiness at Gulu University (Uganda); 2017-2021. She is Ugandan by nationality, a born of 1993 from the Karamoja region in Northern Uganda. Margaret is from a family of three girls and the only one still at school. Margaret is focused at becoming an employer and climate change actor seeking to improve climate change resilience in her region. She is also a determined young agriculturalist with a vision to open up a learning centre for agriculture to benefit nearby schools and farmers in Moroto district.

Ong’ayo Mercyline Jerusa is enrolled into the Master of Science program in Agri-Enterprise Development at Egerton University; 2017-2019. Jerusa is a Kenyan national, born in 1987 and grew up in the Western Kenya. Her dream is to set up an agri-entrepreneurship consultancy and demonstration farm in Kenya, which will offer comprehensive training in Agri-Entrepreneurship to smallholder farmers and entire community for general improvement of life, food and poverty eradication.

John Kamau Muthoni is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at Egerton University; 2017-2021. He is a Kenyan national, born in 1996 in Tamoyoto, Molo. John is passionate about agriculture that he has practiced from childhood. John’s dream is to build on the skills gained from this program to become an entrepreneur, with a private agricultural research farm, and respond to farmer challenges with innovative solutions.

Ngenoh Geoffrey Cheruiyot is enrolled in the Master of Science in Agri-Enterprise Development at Egerton University at Egerton University; 2017-2019. He is a Kenyan national, born in 1990 and grew up in Rift Valley in Kenya. Despite numerous challenges in his education journey, Geoffrey’s perseverance has been pivotal for his attainment of education.  Geoffrey aims to form a transformational scheme for youth with entrepreneurial skills to encourage innovative agricultural development that leads to sustainable livelihoods in Kenya, and Africa in large.

Ayiri, Joshua Bayahkebe is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science program in Food and Agribusiness at Gulu University (Uganda); 2017-2021.  Joshua is a Nigerian national, born in 1996. Joshua has devotion and motivation to become a transformational leader. Joshua has a purpose to educate and mentor youth on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and growing to become big enterprise that will create job opportunities with potential to reduce crime in Nigeria.

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