KIGALI - Agriculture Ministers from various African countries have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening higher education in agriculture and increase partnerships that focus on agricultural development.

The officials made the commitment during the just concluded five-day regional meeting of African ministers in Munyonyo, Kampala, yesterday, which was organised by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).

The participants, who included members of Parliament, and senior officials in charge of education, said they would ask their governments to restore quality Agriculture education in higher institutes of learning.  

"We commit to increased investment in higher education in agriculture in Africa and to be included as an integral agricultural development investment in CAADP country compacts and medium term agricultural productivity programmes,” a joint communiqué by the ministers read in part.

CAADP is the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme.

They also promised to take urgent actions to develop an Africa-wide action and investment plan for implementing the African Union Commission and NEPAD-PCA strategies for strengthening capacity development in agriculture that are designed to support CAADP.

At the conference, Rwanda was represented by Agriculture minister Agnes Kalibata who, on Tuesday, launched a book on management of natural resources in Africa.

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