The BecA-ILRI Hub annual letter, 2011

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Written on Monday, 27 February 2012 03:37

We are delighted to share with you the tremendous progress we have made in 2011. With the critical support of many partners and investors, we have continued to expand our programme of research, capacity building, and research-related services.

We started the year with residual excitement from the official opening of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa Hub on 5 November 2010 by His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, the President of the Republic of Kenya. We are grateful for the attendance of this event by more than 300 invited guests and dignitaries, as we are for others who have visited us over the past years.

The year 2011 saw Dr. Carlos Seré, instrumental in the conception and birth of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), BecA-ILRI Hub, complete his second term as Director General of ILRI. He was succeeded by Dr. Jimmy Smith in October 2011, who incidentally helped fund the original BecA establishment grant by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). We are delighted to have Dr. Smith and express our deep gratitude to Dr. Seré for the role he played in bringing BecA into being. Dr. Gabrielle Persley and Dr. John McDermott who played central roles in the establishment and operations of BecA also left ILRI in 2011. We are greatly indebted to them for their contribution to the success of the BecA-ILRI Hub.

The BecA-ILRI Hub (hereafter referred to as the Hub) has now supported the implementation of research projects and laboratory-based training involving the 18 BecA countries, and others across sub-Saharan Africa and globally. African graduate students and visiting scientists have continued to publish their work, graduate, and move on to higher positions including back home in their national programs. We have continued to upgrade our infrastructure and evolve our research, research-related services, technologies and capacity building portfolio to better support the region’s agricultural research needs in the years ahead. Our increased capacity is being matched by growing demand from the region and beyond for world-class facilities and support for the benefit of the African farmer.

To read more about our successes, challenges and opportunities, download our 2011 annual letter here.

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