BecA researchers find more accurate test for sleeping sickness

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Written on Wednesday, 14 January 2009 00:00

BecA Hub Scientists have developed new assays that significantly reduce the labour, time and cost of carrying out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests which drastically reduces the labour, time and cost of carrying out standard PCR tests — opening the way for large-scale studies. 

Interview with the Boss

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Written on Thursday, 08 January 2009 00:00

Segenet Kelemu (PhD) is the Director of Biosciences East and Central Africa (BecA) Hub, located at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Segenet Kelemu is a renowned scientist who has published widely referenced journals, book contributions, manuals, conference/workshop papers, working documents, and others. She has supervised many graduate and undergraduate students from several countries. During her career as a scientist, she has made a number of key scientific discoveries. Her professional services include: Member, Editorial Board, Plant Pathology Journal; Member, Steering Committee, System-wide Program on Integrated Pest Management (till 2007); Member, American Phytopathological Society Ad Hoc Committee on the Future Education of Plant Pathologists; Member, Governing Board, International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS).

Visit by Dr. Joanne Daly, Group Executive, Agribusiness, CSIRO

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Written on Friday, 14 November 2008 00:00

Dr. Joanne Daly,  Group Executive, Agribusiness, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia, visited the ILRI/BECA hub to discuss partnerships.

CSIRO Agribusiness Group has the responsibility for research in the agri-food and fiber industries and the human health sector.

Visit by participants of major conference

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Written on Monday, 27 October 2008 00:00

Participants of the recently-concluded 1st All Africa Congress on Biotechnology, which was organized by Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa (ABNETA) through its parent organization, the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF), paid a courtesy call to the BecA-ILRI Hub. Dr Rob Skilton, a Research Support Scientist with the BecA-ILRI Hub, addressed them.

Welcoming Beatrice Abade!

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Written on Tuesday, 07 October 2008 00:00

Beatrice Abade, a Kenyan national, joins us as a Programme Management Officer from The World Bank office in Kenya where she has been supporting the team working on Education and HIV&AIDS. Ms Abade holds a Masters in Business Administration from Moi University and Bachelor’s degree in Education and French from Kenyatta University. She has also holds a certificate in Management from Strathmore University and a higher diploma in Commercial French from Alliance Française.

African agriculture

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Written on Wednesday, 10 September 2008 00:00

Agricultural scientists in Africa are pinning some hopes on genetic engineering to help feed a hungry continent.
Head of Biosciences research in eastern and central Africa, Dr Segenet Kelemu says things like g-m maize that can grow through droughts; B-T cotton, resistant to pests, and nutritionally enhanced grain are just some examples.

New tools for bioinformatics teaching

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Written on Monday, 11 August 2008 00:00

The eBioUSB used for the course

For the third year, the ILRI/BecA EMBNet node organized an introductory course in Bioinformatics at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The objective was to introduce young scientists from east and central Africa to use bioinformatics/computational biology in their research and to present some of the biological resources available on the ILRI-BECA bioinformatics platform.

CIMMYT, IITA, ICRISAT and BecA

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Written on Monday, 07 July 2008 00:00

During 8–14 June 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya, CIMMYT, IITA, ICRISAT, and Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) jointly conducted the workshop “Molecular Breeding Capacity Building” for 22 maize and sorghum breeders working throughout sub-Saharan Africa. It was supported by the Generation Challenge Program and the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa Project. The workshop’s objectives were to discuss the overall opportunities for and constraints on applying marker-assisted selection (MAS), including aspects of genomics, genetics and biometrics, and to strengthen the maize and sorghum molecular breeding communities of practice in Africa.