This report is a synthesis of key achievements and progress made during the period 1^st July – 30^th September 2019 (the first quarter of the Financial Year 2019/20, and the second year of implementing the operational plan-2018-2022 of RUFORUM Vision 2030). The Operational Plan is designed around four (4) flagship programmes underpinned by activities to support regional collective action and learning to give impetus to achieving the RUFORUM vision for vibrant transformative universities catalyzing inclusive agricultural development to feed and create prosperity for Africa.

The four flagship programmes include: Transforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev); Cultivating Research and Teaching Excellence (CREATE); Regional Anchor Universities for Higher Agricultural Education (RANCH); and Knowledge Hub for University Networking, Partnership and Advocacy (K-Hub).

Below are the highlights of progress made:

1. RUFORUM continued to implement the rigorous student recruitment protocol for identifying and placing bright but disadvantaged youth from Africa into university education with support from Mastercard Foundation. The protocol has further been exploited to identify and place102 students (82 undergraduate, 20 masters) from twelve (12) African nations including Benin (2), Burundi (1), Cameroon (6), Ethiopia (1), Kenya (23), Liberia (2), Malawi (3), Namibia (1), Nigeria (1), Rwanda (5), Tanzania (1) and Uganda (56) for study at Gulu University, Egerton university and Ndejje University.
2. RUFORUM launched the2019 Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC) targeting West Africa countries with focus on food and agribusiness, incubations, ICT, health, engineering, natural resources, and meteorology among others. The awards will be announced during the 15thRUFORUM Annual General meeting convening 2-6 December, 2019 at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
3. RUFORUM in collaboration with the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD) and Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA) convened a Development Partners meeting (30 September-1October 2019) in Kampala, Uganda to provide a platform for dialogue between the African tertiary education sector and the global and African development partners to chat a way forward for promoting equal opportunity in youth employability and entrepreneurship in Africa. The meeting generated proposals on areas of synergy, implementation and coordination mechanisms for equal opportunity in youth employability and entrepreneurship in Africa.
4. RUFORUM competitively awarded eight (8) Field Attachment Programme Awards (FAPA)to Gulu University in Uganda with support from the Mastercard Foundation to disseminate technologies and innovations from their research and further support the delivery of complementary extension services to over 1,590 households. RUFORUM further supported 302 students at Egerton University (148) and Gulu University (154) to undertake farm attachment.
5. RUFORUM continued to provide opportunities for increasing the participation of women in science and technology-related training and research by developing the Regional Initiative to strengthen staff capacity and Increase the pool of Women Scientists in African Universities (RISSCAW) as well as submitting a proposal to the IDRC with focus on Reducing Systemic Barriers of Women participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (ReSSTEM).

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