On July 22nd, 2011, when the first four students from Makerere University’s Regional Programme graduated with their Master’s degree in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems, the event was celebrated at the RUFORUM office with a small party that was organized by RUFORUM Secretariat members of staff, and attended by the graduates’ families, as well as by Professor Adipala, Dr. Richard Edema, Dr. Patrick Okori and Dr. Paul Gibson with his wife Pauline Gibson. 

Two of the graduates Patrick Ongom and Jimmy Obala from Uganda were sponsored by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and while the other two Maurice Mogga and Mayada Mamoun Beshir from Sudan were sponsored by SCARDA (Strengthening Capacity for Agricultural Research and Development in Africa) which was coordinated by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).  The class comprised of 16 MSc students. Several have successfully defended their theses and have returned to their home countries and are leading development processes.

From the left: Patrick Ongom,  Mayada Mamoun Beshir,  Jimmy Obala,  and Maurice Mogga cutting a cake at their graduation party in Makerere university