By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
A three-day symposium organized by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) has ended in the Liberian capital, Monrovia
The state-owned University of Liberia (UL) hosted the forum.
RUFORUM is an organization of heads of universities offering degrees agriculture in Africa, but in recent times, the members are have been engaged in other fields of studies.
The symposium, which brought 21 heads of universities from all over Africa, was aimed at discussing work in the interest of member-institutions.
Speaking during the formal closing ceremony at the weekend, the President of the UL, Dr. Ophelia Weeks, stressed the need for heads of universities to work collaboratively to strengthen the member institutions.
Over the years, she went on, the organization has grown in membership total 105 universities from 37 countries on the African Continent.
In remarks, the Vice Chairman of the board, Professor Kanyama Phiri, said: “we are here purposely to discuss the challenges facing the organization.”
Professor Phiri, who is also the Vice Chancellor at the Lilogwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi, expressed optimism that the Monrovia symposium will make organization makes more steps ahead.
“We have a number of things that we can do as an organization to increase the production in the agricultural sector;” Professor Phiri said.
“All we can say is the support of our heads of states and the African Union,” the Lilogwe University’s Vice Chancellor said. For his part, RUFORUM’s Executive Secretary, Professor Adipala Ekiwamu, said the objectives of the organization are to promote networking among higher institutions of learning on the African Continent.
Prof. Ekiwamu added that the organization is also intended to foster interaction among academics in Africa, in order to meet the levels universities in other regions have achieved.
According to Prof Ekiwamu, the primary objectives are to ensure that they assist in the development on the continent, so as to ensure that universities in collaboration work to boost human capacity development and develop a new generation of scholars that will replace the aging ones.