Partnership and Collaboration Take Centre Stage at RUFORUM 21st AGM in Botswana

The 21st Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) Annual General Meeting officially opened on Monday, 1st December 2025 in Gaborone, Botswana, with African leaders calling for deeper co-creation, stronger partnerships, and the strategic use of science and innovation to tackle the continent’s challenges of climate change and unemployment.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Prince Maele, Botswana’s Minister of Higher Education, urged African universities to harness the power of collaboration that the forum offers—bringing together delegates from more than 40 countries. He highlighted the AGM as a symbol of partnership between governments, academia, the private sector, and development partners.

“There is an urgent need to deepen our partnerships and build a resilient continent through innovation,” the Minister said, reaffirming Botswana’s commitment to investing in higher education as a pathway to national and regional development.

His message was reinforced by Prof. Richard Tabulawa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education, who challenged all higher education institutions in Botswana to form concrete collaborations before the AGM concludes on December 5.
“All Botswana universities and institutions present here—please leverage RUFORUM’s continental strategy of building impactful collaborations and get connected with other universities,” Prof. Tabulawa urged.

Addressing delegates, Prof. Theresia Nkuo-Akenji, RUFORUM Board Chair and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bamenda in Cameroon, expressed pride in the growing evidence of RUFORUM graduates creating real change in their communities. She noted that research emerging from member universities is increasingly informing policies across the continent.
However, she emphasized the continued need for African leaders to share knowledge and rethink approaches to unemployment and climate change—issues that remain central to Africa’s development agenda.

This year’s AGM, held under the theme “Positioning Africa’s Universities and the Higher Education Sector to Effectively Impact Development Processes on the Continent,” runs until 5th December 2025.
The event, which began with pre-AGM sessions on 24 November, also featured intensive capacity-building and mentorship programs for Communication Officers, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, Program Associates, and Finance Officers from RUFORUM partner institutions.