RSIF Delegation Visits Haramaya University
The Regional Scholarship Innovation Fund (Rsif) Regional Coordination Unit International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) conducted a physical monitoring and evaluation field visit to Haramaya University, located in Eastern Ethiopia. Haramaya is one of the 15 Rsif African Host Universities (AHU).
The visit’s purpose was to discuss the ongoing selection and shortlisting process of Rsif cohort 6 scholarship applications, implementation status and progress of the ongoing PASET-Rsif funded PhD students at the university’s Africa Centre of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation (ACE Climate SABC).
The AHUs host Rsif sponsored PhD scholars in five priority thematic areas, including ICT including big data and artificial intelligence, Food security and agri-business, Minerals, mining and materials engineering, Energy including renewables and Climate change within the universities.
The team led by Dr Evelyn Nguku who is the capacity-building specialist, met the President of Haramaya University, Dr Jamal Yousuf (Associate Professor) and discussed the progress of Rsif scholars undertaking PhD in Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Management. They also discussed the development of future collaboration, including research and innovation projects.
Speaking during the occasion, Dr Yousuf stated that Haramaya University offers quality education and cutting-edge research and the university has received requests for collaboration in research from institutions across the world.
“We are happy the collaboration with Rsif programme has enabled several Ethiopian students to benefit from this scholarship,” he stated.
He added that education is a priority in Ethiopia and hopefully the Ethiopian Government will join other African countries as a contributing nation to the Rsif Project.
The delegates participated in a campus tour to various laboratories led by Dr Tesfaye Lemma Tefera, Associate Professor of Rural Development and Agriculture Extension and the Rsif co-coordinator at Haramaya University, Dr Bobe Bedadi, the Deputy Centre Leader and Training Research Head and Dr Mulugeta Damie Watabaji, Project Manager at ACE Climate SABC.
On his part, Dr Tefera said the university has so far received two cohorts of Rsif scholars and all have successfully finished their coursework and defended their proposals.
Dr Bedadi took the Rsif delegation through a brief overview of Haramaya University’s milestones and mentioned that they are ensuring that they produce competent graduates. He also stated that the collaboration with Rsif has enabled them to have students from West Africa. “Initially, we had students coming from Eastern and Southern parts of Africa, but because of Rsif Programme, we now have students from Western Africa,” he stated.
Dr Watabaji said the university has several well-equipped laboratories that support various research projects undertaken by the students.
On her part, Dr Nguku mentioned Rsif’s objective of bridging the PhD gap in Africa in the Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (ASET) to support the broader objective of the continent.
“Rsif is contributing to the wider vision of PASET of producing 10,000 doctoral graduates in a decade,” Dr Nguku stated.
“We look at the quality of graduates, timely completion of the PhD programme and fostering partnerships between universities and the private sector/industries to find solutions to local challenges,” Dr Nguku stated and added that the laboratories at Haramaya University are undertaking cutting-edge research, and Rsif is confident its scholars will be mentored and be competent in their specific research areas.
Dr Nguku and the Rsif delegation also had the opportunity to meet Kenyan graduate students studying in the university’s Africa Centre of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation.
More similar visits are being conducted across other AHUs.