When special and scientific minds meet together for a common purpose the outcome is a long lasting and permanent establishment

It was in 2003 when the like minds were mobilised to give birth to a child called “The Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture” (FORUM) from the Rockefeller Foundation Programme which had come to an end. The meeting brought together people from the academia, government, private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and farmers to think outside the box and come up with an organisation which will develop higher education in Africa; link academic work with policy and private sector; harness the technologies and innovations developed in Africa universities; and create centres of excellence that will address Africa’s nutrition, hunger, poverty, health, youth dividends problems and create wealth; be a pivotal centre for leadership in the Africa We Want, Agenda 2063 while contributing to Agenda 2030 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How did it start?

Universities in five countries namely Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zimbabwe conceived the FORUM baby and changed its name to RUFORUM to accommodate the wider African Region needs for social capacity and human development. To date it is the fastest growing, a thought leader, that has demonstrated to retain 98% of its trained man power within Africa most of whom are in leadership positions; and close to attaining the 50% gender parity currently at above 40%. The RUFORUM train has to be asked to slow down its growth in order not to frustrate the network members and beneficiaries while balancing regional representation. The RUFORUM setup is very conducive because it gets its funding from the Universities through subscriptions; grants from donors; contributions of member universities to the staff mobility project; partnerships and cloud resource mobilisation. It is through the RUFORUM lens that the thought piece paper is envisioning the future of Africa and the needed action. In order to put the thought piece into context the situation of African education need to be analysed.

Current Africa situation

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 1 billion people, half of whom are under 25 years old by 2050, is a diverse continent offering human and natural resources that have the potential to yield inclusive growth and eradicate poverty in the region; enabling Africans across the continent to live healthier and more prosperous lives. With the world’s largest free trade area and a 1.2-billion-person market, the continent is creating an entirely new development path, harnessing the potential of its resources and people.

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