Annual Report 2012 - African Agricultural Technology Foundation

10 AATF Annual Report 2012
in Francophone Africa and it is a collaboration between AATF and the
Institut de I’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA).
November
l AATF holds a training for researchers and scientists working in various
banana projects in the eastern Africa region from 26–30 November in
Kigali, Rwanda aimed at building capacity in efficient banana tissue
culture processes. The 24 participants were drawn from Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
l WEMA deployment team holds its review and planning meeting from
12–14 November 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa. The participants
drawn from all the partner organisations including the five project
countries also developed a draft project deployment strategy.
l The AATF Board of Trustees holds its 20 th Board meeting in Maputo,
Mozambique from 7-8 November to review the organisation’s progress.
They visited the WEMA trial sites in Chokwe and also paid a courtesy
call on the Director General of the National Agriculture Institute of
Mozambique, Dr Inaccio Maposse.
l The Maruca-Resistant Cowpea Project partners organise a one-day
stakeholder sensitisation workshop on 8 November in Zaria, Nigeria
to update them on progress made in the development of the Marucaresistant
cowpea varieties. The event was attended by over 200 participants
including academicians, scientists, students, farmers, policy makers and
the media.
December
l Over 30 journalists attend a workshop to strengthen their understanding
of biotechnology and science reporting organised by the Maruca-
Resistant Cowpea Project in Abuja, Nigeria where the participants
had the opportunity to interact with scientists working on the Project.
l The WEMA communication team holds its 2012 end of year review
and 2013 planning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya from 3–7 December. The
meeting attended by over 10 team members drawn from the five WEMA
countries and partner organisations also drafted the communication
strategy to support the Project’s Phase II activities and deployment.
Deploying agricultural technologies for farmers