Tuesday 28 July 2009

Is the European FP 7 programme a good model for Africa?

Interview with Dr. Kevin Urama African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS Kenya) at the NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue FARA Secretariat 28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana.
He thinks that the modus operandus of the European Framework Programme is very useful because:
  1. it is trying to forge partnerships and collaborations both between disciplines and across cultures and countries. Currently ATPS is working on a Manifesto for Science and Technology involving Indian, European and African partners.
  2. Work packages allow African institutes to take the lead and in this they can set their own research priorities.
  3. The multilateral research platform is a guarantee for quality control. Such types of collaboration should happen more in Africa.

He gives as an example the banana tissue culture which was developed in Kenya but now involves researchers from Cameroon, Nigeria and other places. The requirement of involving policy makers, researchers, the producers and the civil society allows for innovation to develop and forces researchers to think critically about their research.

Dr. Kevin Urama answers following questions:
  • ATPS is currently developing a Donor Watch initiative. Will newcomers like Japan, China and Brazil foster Africa-Africa collaboration ?
  • Will we have one day an African Union FP7 type of programme?

Contributing to the NEPAD agenda of agricultural research networking

Interview with Professor B.K. Ahunu, Provost of the College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences of the University of Ghana in Legon/Accra. Professor Ahunu explains how the University of Ghana contributes to the NEPAD agenda of agricultural research networking with some concrete examples. He answers the questions
  • Whether the prestige of studying abroad is not an impediment for regional PHD programmes
    If present agricultural research is relevant for national needs

Investments in agricultural research highly depend on external partners

28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue. Interview with Dr. Monty Jones (ED FARA).

Dr. Jones thinks this NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue comes at an appropriate moment. But he is worried by the fact that agricultural research is highly dependent on the support of external partners with very few of occasional support from the national governments.

He nevertheless trusts that as suggested by Dr. Mayaki (CEO of NEPAD) a paradigm shift is taking place where planning and planning is replaced by more operational activities. But he wonders when this will be fully realised

The NEPAD paradigm shift on agricultural research


28 - 30 July 2009, Accra, Ghana. NEPAD Tertiary Institutions Dialogue. Interview with Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (CEO NEPAD).

According to Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki policies used to be defined by the binoom of African governments and external partners. Today there is a need to include the civil society, producers and research institutes/universities in the elaboration of sectorial policies.

He answers following questions:

  • Is the lack of research done in the African universites not a problem?
  • What are the present big challenges of agricultural research?

Participants at the NEPAD Tertiary Dialogue

Overview of the participants at the NEPAD Tertiary Dialogue: FARA, Accra 28-30/07

Dr. Monty Patrick Jones
Executive Director
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana
Remi Kahane
Global Hort
Arusha Tanzania



Lynette Chen
Chief Executive Officer
NEPAD Business Foundation ( NBF)
South Africa





Abdirahman Ismail
Deputy CEO
NEPAD Kenya Secretariat
Nairobi, Kenya

Prof. Richard Nkandawire
Head of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme
(CAADP) NEPAD Secretariat
Midrand, South Africa

Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki
Chief Executive Officer
New Partnership for Africa’s Development
( NEPAD) Secretariat

Midrand Johannesburg , South Africa


Leo Pekkala
Faculty of Education, University of Lapland. Rovaniemi, Finland









Joyce Maina
Department of Animal Production,
Ccollege Agriculture & Veterinary Sciences,
University of Nairobi

Angelinna Rudabukana
AU-NEPAD
Johannesburg


Sheryl Hendricks
African Centre for Food Security :
University of Kwa Zulu-Natal
Pietermaritzburg , South Africa

Charles Mkoka
Science and Development Network London(SCIDEV.NET)
Regional Correspondent

Lilongwe, Zambia

Sloans K. Chimatiro,
Senior Fisheries Advisor,
NEPAD Secretariat,
Midrand, South Africa

Benjamin Ngatunga
Tanzanian Fisheries Research Institute
Dar es Salaam , Tanzania


Thomas Theisohn Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD)
Vauvenargues, France

Ekaya Wellington
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda



Florence Nazare
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Capacity Development : Coordinator
Johannesburg, South Africa

Millicent Seganoe
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Johannesburg, South Africa

Samuel Cudjoe
NAPRM – Governing Council Secretariat
Accra, Ghana




John Makumbe
Mass Public Opinion (MPOI)
Board Member
Harare, Zimbabwe

Samira Hotobah-During
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana



Emmanuel Tambi

Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana

Kevin Urama
African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
P.O. Box 10081, Nairobi, Kenya


Elizabeth Omino
Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA)
Nairobi , Kenya

Odularu Gbadebo
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa
Accra, Ghana

Tetsuji Oya
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)
Accra, Ghana


Unami Mpofu
InWent Capacity Building International
Johannesburg , South Africa

Arne Schuffenhauer
German Technical Cooperation Pretoria , South Africa


Rawda Omar Clinton
United Nations Economic Commission For Africa (UNECA)
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia

Kane Alioune
University Cheikh Anta Dior (UCAD)
Dakar , Senegal

Ashagrie Gibtan
Addis Ababa University (AAU)
Department of Biology
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia


Rufaro Madakadze
Alliance for A Green Revolutions in Africa (AGRA)
Nairobi , Kenya

Prof. Ben Ahunu
University of Ghana
Legon,Ghana

Panduleni Elago
Inland Aquaculture Centre Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources (IAC)
Namibia

Jurgen Hagmann
Institute for People,Innovation and Change in Organizations (PICO)
Pretoria, South Africa


Professor Wilson A. Rajerison
Université d’Antananarivo – Institut of Water
UA-LISTE
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Eddie Kofi Abban
CSIR-Water Research Institute
Accra , Ghana

Isabel Omar
National Institute for Aquaculture Development- Ministry of Fisheries Mozambique (INAQUA)

Maputo, Mozambique

Antoine Chikou
Faculté Des Sciences Agronomiques Université D’Abomey-Calavi (FSA/UAC)
Cotonou, Benin

Kachaka Sudi Kaiko
University of Kinshasa/ DRC Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Kinshasa , Democratic Republic of Congo


Christophe Lesueur
HUB Rural , Platform for Rural Development in West and Central Africa
Dakar , Senegal


Edosa Omoregie
Department of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences , University of Namibia
Windhoek, Namibia



Hlami Ngwenya
SA Institute for People Innovation and Change in Organizations (PICOTEAM-SA)
Pretoria , South Africa

Irene Frepong
SCARDA progam officer
FARA
Accra, Ghana
François Stepman
Communication Expert FARA
Accra, Ghana