Dr. Abigael N. Otinga (Kenyan) is a Senior Programme Officer-Systems Strengthening and Operations at the RUFORUM Secretariat. Her responsibilities include overseeing the strengthening of systems at higher education and tertiary education (i.e., universities and TVETs), teaching and learning ecosystems including curriculum innovation, continuous professional development programs that enhance institutions’ capacities to address teaching, learning, knowledge translation and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Before joining RUFORUM, Dr. Otinga served as Head of the Department of Soil Science at the School of Agriculture and Biotechnology, University of Eldoret (UoE) for one year where she still holds her position as Senior Lecturer. She is the founding Coordinator of the Outreach and International Students’ Centre (OISC) at UoE which she led for five years. Dr. Otinga holds a PhD in Bioscience Engineering from KU Leuven in Belgium, an MPhil in Soil Science and a BSc. in Forestry; both from Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.

 She has attended a number of professional courses in various institutions including an Environmental Leadership Certificate Course in Sustainable Environmental Management from the University of California, Berkely in the USA. She is a proud holder of the 2014 African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Fellowship funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a Principal Investigator of various donor funded projects. Dr. Otinga’s expertise includes soil chemistry and plant nutrition, focusing on soil fertility management across various agro-ecological zones in Kenya and other parts of SSA. She has experience working with international programmes and exchange of students between Europe and Africa through the Intra Africa Mobility Projects and the VLIR-UOS North South Institutional Cooperation. Otinga has a passion for Africa’s higher agricultural education reforms and processes that enhance the effectiveness of universities and TVETS on the continent.