By JKUAT,
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) is hosting a delegation from the Government of Eritrea. The delegation is in the country to identify areas of collaboration between JKUAT and Eritrean Institutes of Higher Education.
The National Board for Higher Education (NBHE) Executive Director, Dr. Tadasse Mehari who is leading the Eritrean delegation, said his country is eager to start the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding signed with JKUAT whereby 18 Eritrean students have already joined the institution for postgraduate and doctorate programmes.
Under the MoU signed in 2011, Eritrea agreed to sponsor students to JKUAT and further intends to sponsor more with funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The dons drawn from Eritrea Institute of Technology, Massawa College of Marine Science and Technology, Hamelmalo Agriculture College all from Eritrea are on a familiarization tour on JKUAT postgraduate and training programmes and research activities which will enable them identify more students to be sponsored and further develop a programme for staff exchange.
In the College of Engineering and Technology, areas of collaboration already identified include: streamlining staff exchange, research in areas of water harnessing, animal production and food technology.
JKUAT is in the process of re-positioning itself in order to compete effectively among local and international universities in keeping with its motto of “Setting Trends in Higher Education, Research and Innovation.”
Deputy Vice Chancellor (AA) Prof. Romanus Odhiambo, informed the forum that this will be achieved through upgrading of facilities in health, increased access to housing, water harvesting development, building an Industrial Park and securing an Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO Certification.
Under the MoU, Eritrean counterparts will benefit from JKUAT’s linkages with institutes of higher education in Africa and beyond as well as partnerships with key players in the private sector.
The three-day tour will see the Eritrean team visit the Faculty of Agriculture, Science, College of Engineering, Board of Postgraduate Studies, School of Human Resource Development, Research, Partnerships and Extension Services before capping it with a one-day workshop.
The meeting was also attended by among others, Tsuneo Tsurusaki (JICA Eritrean Liason Office), Yohannes Berhe (Eritrean Embassy); Deputy Vice Chancellor (RPE) Prof. Esther Kahangi; Pan African University Institute of Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation Director Prof. Gabriel Magoma; Henry David Adenya of Alumni and International Students Organization; Deans, Assistant Deans and Heads of Departments.
