Senior members from the Ministry of Education on Friday 24th June 2022 were at Main Campus in Njoro for the Africa Higher Education Centre of Excellence (ACE) National Steering Committee meeting.
The officials were Mr Darius Ogutu, Director University Education, Mr Paul Mungai ACE II National Coordinator, Mr James Kiburi Deputy Director of Higher Education, Mr Johnson Njuguna - Deputy Accountant General, Catherine Munyi – Principal Education Officer, Ms Sarah Nasimiyu – Senior Assistant Office Administrator.
The team was received by the Egerton University Management Board comprising of the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Isaac Kibwage, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Extension) Prof. Bockline Bebe and acting Director (Research & Extension) Prof. Nancy Mungai and Prof. George Owuor, Centre Leader, the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture & Agribusiness Management.
According to the ACE website, the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence Project is a World Bank initiative in collaboration with governments of participating countries to support Higher Education institutions in specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Environment, Agriculture, applied Social Science / Education and Health. It is the first World Bank project aimed at the capacity building of higher education institutions in Africa.
In Kenya, three universities are part of the ACE II Project. These are Egerton University’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture & Agribusiness Management (CESAAM), Jaramogi Odinga Oginga University of Science & Technology’s Sustainable Use of Insects as Food and Feeds (INSEFOODS), and Moi University’s Centre of Excellence in Phytochemicals Textiles and Renewable Energy (PTRE).
The universities participating at the ACE II Project had representatives during the meeting. These were Dr David Ruto, Registrar Academics Research & Extension (Moi University), Prof. Monica Ayieko (JOOUST - INSEFOODS) and Dr Rose Ramkat (Moi University). In attendance was the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Prof. Walter O. Oyawa.
CESAAM supports 240 post graduate students in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management, Animal Sciences Department, Department of Food Science, Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soils, Department of Agricultural Extension and Department of Agricultural Engineering.
