Africa College Partnership
“Africa College is truly transformational for the University,” said project leader Professor Howard Atkinson. “It is changing research culture and building new partnerships on campus and also within African institutions, to help us meet the key challenge of reducing hunger and poverty in Africa.”
“The partnership has already made great progress and now has 95 members,” continued senior research fellow David Howlett. “Staff from nearly all the University faculties are involved, giving us exceptional interdisciplinary research power. We’re also forging strong external links with African partners and seeking to establish new relationships.”
Research interests range from human health and nutrition through plant sciences and food security to biodiversity, ecosystem services and environmental issues. Current projects include determining if weather forecasting can predict high aflatoxin contamination of groundnuts, developing banana plants that are resistant to nematode pests and assuring bees pollinate crops effectively in a changing environment.
“True transformation takes time, but the foundations are now in place for the Africa College’s successful future,” said Professor Atkinson. “We’re already putting existing knowledge into practice to bring about quicker results, and encouraging African institutions to build their capacity and enhance the environment for effective research. We’ll also continue to seek increased investment in the types of research and development that will have a positive impact on human health and food security in Africa.”
www.africacollege.leeds.ac.uk
