The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has launched the Regional Universities Mediated Partnerships for Enhancing Livelihoods and Health in Africa (RUMPELHA). This was during the 4th International Scientific Meeting on sustainable Livelihoods and Health in Africa held on the 18th and 19th of June 2015 at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.

The scientific meeting was organized by the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) and her partners in the Africa-US Integrated Disease Management (AFRUS-IDM) Network.

AFRUS-IDM is a network of higher educational institutions from East and Central Africa and North America that was established to advance higher education led development in Africa. It is under the CIMTRADZ project that has been running since 2011 with support from USAID’S Higher Education for Development (HED).
Held under the theme, “Sparking Innovations for Sustainable Livelihoods and Health Security in Africa”, the international scientific meeting marked the end of Capacity Building in Integrated Management of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (CIMTRADZ) project, and the beginning of RUMPELHA one of the several novel initiatives that emerged from CIMTRADZ. The AFRUS-IDM network is however expected to continue growing by leveraging additional resources to sustain activities initiated under CIMTRADZ.

Speaking at the launch, Prof. John David Kabasa, CoVAB Principal called for action to engage in the RUMPELHA mechanism whose emphasis is on food Security, Global Health Security and Transformative Higher Education for Development. Prof. Kabasa said that one of the areas that RUMPELHA will address is increased production and safety of animals and their products in the next 20 to 30 years to cope with the ever increasing populations in Africa.

RUMPELHA comprises University-led partnerships structured at regional levels (with member Universities) and the summit housed at The African Union (AU). The proposal for RUMPELHA has already been endorsed by the AU and if implemented will be one of the self-sustaining University-led partnerships in Africa. Makerere University will therefore partner with other universities from East, Central and Southern Africa as well as the United States and Canada within the RUMPELHA mechanism.

Present at the meeting were among others, academicians, researchers, practitioners, Makerere University staff and Students from regional universities and North America. Among the students were 12 who participated in the Annual Summer school program that has been running under CIMTRADZ. The students were from the partnering Universities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), National University of Rwanda, University of Nairobi (Kenya), Mississippi State University and Makerere University (COVAB). Each of these students received a certificate of completion of the one-month summer school that started on 24th May 2015.

The meeting was also attended by the Vice Chancellor Makerere University represented by Prof. Bernard Bashasha, Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In a speech read by Prof. Bashasha, the Vice Chancellor said that Makerere University recognized the importance of the scientific meeting in bringing togetherresearchers from the region and America to forge ways of achieving sustainable health and livelihoods among populations in Africa.

The scientific meeting was characterized by both oral and poster presentations which focused on five key areas of Capacity building, Community Service Learning, Zoonotic and Trans-boundary Animal diseases,  Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity Managementplus  Food Security and Food safety.

Prof. Nawangwe thanked CoVAB under the leadership of Prof. Kabasa for its hard work and resilience in liberating Africa through the various innovations taking place within the College. One such innovation was the development of a multi-stakeholder platform-AFRISA, an academic-community-public-private partnership on basis of value chain approach in animal source food to address food security and unemployment.

All the different focal persons from the partnering Universities were recognized for their efforts in the CIMTRADZ project. They each received a plaque in appreciation for their services. Prof Nawangwe particularly thanked Prof. Margaret Khaitsa from Mississippi State University and Prof. Florence Wakoko from Columbus State University for not forgetting Uganda, even though they are working from abroad.

“Go to the world and deliver knowledge. Be the torch for Africa”, Prof. Nawange told participants as he declared RUMPELHA launched.

Prior to this scientific meeting, CoVAB had hosted the annual international cultural boma, which attracted over 200 participants. The boma was characterized by presentations based on experiences of various professionals on several topics ranging from research, training and outreach opportunities in regional and American Universitiesfrom to communication and financial sustainability, among others.

Article by Jovia Musubika Kavulu, CoVAB