The RUFORUM training programme is designed to augment the pool of agricultural researchers and policy professionals in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting graduate studies in agriculture and related fields and by enhancing the capabilities in the member universities. We use three approaches: the regional MSc/M.Phil and PhD programmes, attachments and short targeted courses for professional and skill development.

The Regional MSc and PhD Programmes
The MSc./M.Phil programmes are designed as 2/3 year courses and the PhD as a three year course by course work and dissertation. The MSc/M.Phil programmes are offered by individual universities, but where there is limited capacity in the region (such as in research methodology) or one university has comparative advantage, the training is jointly offered by the member universities at a common facility. The focus on the MSc/M.Phil training is to:

• Build a pool of middle-level professionals  to champion development process
• Provide a pipeline for PhD training
• Rapidly build capacity in key areas and to replace the ageing population of the NARS scientists.

The PhD programme aims at developing high calibre scientists to serve three functions:

• Provide a pool of highly trained faculty to build capacity for the continent (train more professionals)
• Train research scientists for the NARS and other research and extension bodies
• Provide a pool of highly trained technical experts to guide development process and policy frameworks.

Beginning 2009, RUFORUM will establish Post-doctoral fellowships, to give new PhD graduates opportunity to fortify their skills.

Professional and Skill Development
A key effort of RUFORUM is directed at creating opportunities for professional development of university scientists and graduate students and developing their competencies for multi-task functions. This is achieved in a variety of ways:

• Providing opportunities for staff exchanges and attachments to communities and regional and global knowledge centres
• Providing short targeted training and learning sessions to a) Upgrade or develop new technical skills, and b) build competencies in leadership, management and cross-cutting professional skills (Personal Mastery/Soft Skills)
• Linking students to field oriented research (attachments). Attachments are designed to consolidate the research work and provide an opportunity to follow-up on important research leads.
• Internship is an important area that strengthens university linkages with communities through follow up of their students’ activities but more importantly support student orientation to work with communities and build on the work they started on during thesis research.

Contributing to Broad Development Issues
To date all our graduates are employed in different sectors, and are contributing to national and regional development. RUFORUM graduates are involved in policy-making and are active in the commercial sector. Some graduates are with national research institutions, some are research scientists with the CGIAR and others are working as frontline actors with NGOs and other community based organizations, including the Millennium villages in
Kenya and Uganda. At university level, postgraduate programs have been strengthened and some of the universities are now in position to move beyond MSc to PhD training programmes, while some are able to engage in internationally competitive cutting edge research. RUFORUM has ensured continued visible engagement of universities in development processes and practices so that institutional and human capital is not lost.

Promoting Female Participation
RUFORUM has a deliberate policy to promote women-education, primarily through increasing opportunities for graduate training, and working with them and other actors to advance their academic careers. RUFORUM is working with the member universities to mainstream gender in their programs, and to establish deliberate plans to increase access to especially postgraduate education and job placement of women and other disadvantaged groups. RUFORUM research and development activities are also designed to ensure active women participation.

Partnering with International Organisations
RUFORUM is linked to and conducts joint activities with several institutions both within the region and internationally. It has linked and worked with CGIARS, has joint academic programmes with Northern partner universities, strong south-south partnerships in research and training, has joint learning platforms with partners such as African Union (AU), NEPAD, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Association of African Universities (AAU), The World Bank, The Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Corporation (CTA-EU), Centre de cooperation international en recherché agronomique pour le developpement (CIRAD), Food Agriculture And Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FARNPAN) etc. Besides formal institutional linkages RUFORUM senior staff have participated in continent wide activities sponsored by several organisations such as FARA, AAU, AU, UNESCO, FAO, NEPAD, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), The World Bank and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).