BY DAVID WANJUI[1], JUNEWEENEX MBUTHIA AND LENSA OMUNE[2]
IFPRI team and UON team discussing details of collaborations, chaired by The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi is Prof. Stephen Kiama. Photo credit : Directorate of Corporate Affairs, University of Nairobi
Stronger national research, institutions and more coordinated CGIAR approach builds coherence and acknowledge that unprecedented challenges require transformative change. To achieve this objective, setting up mechanisms and platforms for science-policy dialogues, regular exchange and rapid response using traditional and digital approaches, is key. One such example is Kenya’s science-policy interface whose membership include representatives from Office of the President, county government, private sector, Kenyan research institutions. The interface aims at undertaking joint research, capacity sharing, and communicating outputs and outcomes. With this mutual understanding, University of Nairobi (UoN) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) agreed to join hands towards strengthening the interface.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi is Prof. Stephen Kiama (Right). IFPRI Country Program Leader, Kenya Dr. Clemens Breisinger (Left), signing the MOU Photo credit: Directorate of Corporate Affairs, University of Nairobi
To institutionalize partnership, the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 19th May 2023 at University of Nairobi, Main campus in Nairobi, Kenya.
Activities/ Areas of joint interest include public lectures on applied policy analysis tools, joint research papers on cross-cutting issues, internship programs, joint policy seminars on diverse country relevant topics, and UoN-IFPRI public lectures and dissemination of research findings and reports.
IFPRI’s engagement with UoN will be supported by CGIAR initiatives, particularly the “National Policies and Strategies” (NPS) for Food, Land, and Water System transformation. UoN and IFPRI through NPS initiative jointly launched the 2023 Global Food Policy Report as their first joint engagement.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi is Prof. Stephen Kiama (Right). IFPRI Country Program Leader, Kenya Dr. Clemens Breisinger (Left), posing with the signed MOU. Photo credit: Directorate of Corporate Affairs, University of Nairobi
[1] The University of Nairobi
[2] International Food Policy Research Institute
