As Africa’s academic community, scientists, researchers, and agricultural experts prepares for the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting scheduled for 1st to 5th December 2025 in Gaborone, the week of 24th to 28th November served as a powerful precursor. This period delivered a focused series of activities designed to equip participants with essential skills, build institutional capacity, and generate the momentum required for a successful AGM.

 

Hosted at the Ministry of Higher Education and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), the pre-AGM events were not simply supplementary activities. Rather, they were strategic, purpose-driven engagements intended to ensure that stakeholders enter the main AGM with enhanced competencies, shared perspectives, and strengthened readiness for collaborative action. Key activities included Competitive Grants Development Training for Botswana Universities, Scholarly Writing Workshops on Systematic Reviews, Research and Analytical Articles, and Proposal Writing and Management Skills Training for Post-Doctoral Fellows. In addition, a comprehensive series of Pre-AGM Thematic Workshops was delivered, covering areas such as data science and bioinformatics, financial management for higher education institutions, leadership development for university managers, innovation and enterprise development, as well as gender and inclusion-focused institutional strengthening. These sessions targeted a broad range of participants, including university staff members, early-career researchers, postgraduate students, research and grants management offices, and wider stakeholders across the RUFORUM network. The primary objectives were to strengthen research capacity and enhance universities’ competitiveness in securing grants to support impactful agricultural research. The events also sought to improve scholarly communication by empowering emerging researchers to produce high-quality systematic reviews, research papers, and analytical outputs.

 

The knowledge, capacities, and networks developed during these pre-AGM engagements will directly inform the discussions and collaborations taking place during the main AGM. They will shape research partnerships, support evidence-based policy dialogues, and reinforce institutional strategies across the RUFORUM network. By the time December begins, BUAN and GICC will play host not merely to an AGM, but to a well-prepared, mobilised community poised to transform ideas into meaningful action.