The mid-morning of Friday August 19th 2016 saw a team of 4 RAN representatives (Nathan Tumuhamye, Harriet Adong, Deborah Natujuna and Brian Ndyaguma-Team Lead) meet with the Consortium for enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD) Executive Director at their office premises in Makerere University Kabanyolo farm located on Gayaza Road, Kampala Uganda. This meeting was to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that binds their (RAN & CURAD) institutional relationship in collaborating to implement innovation related activities aimed at creating resilient social-economic growth. During this engagement, it was fulfilling to note that the two institutions had even earlier jointly collaborated on a number of activities in including the judging of various competitions, organizing agricultural exhibitions, visiting potential innovation users like the farmer group in Mukono District under Atamba Farm management where RAN engaged over 100 small and medium farmers in Innovation testing for further development. “The good thing is that, we already know each other and have also managed to successfully implement several activities together, therefore implementing activities stipulated in this MOU will be a rich value add” Shared Apollo.
In his speech, the Executive Director CURAD, Mr. Apollo Ssegawa extended an open invitation to the RAN team to engage in the upcoming activities targeting agricultural innovation like the innovation Gala due September 16th 2016, engagement of farmer groups in Western Uganda among others. Other important opportunities available to be shared by the 2 organizations include but are not limited to; exchange of expertise through the various mentorship sessions, co-organizing events, joint proposal writing proposals and training of startups.
Apollo Segawa (center) engages the RAN team with thoughts on the partnership
Pen to paper; Nathan for RAN and Apollo for CURAD sign the MoU to bind RAN and CURAD
RAN & CURAD representatives pose for a group photo
