Our Work is Built on Four Pillars

I. Promote technology, methodology, and innovation development, assessment, and deployment appropriate for African agrifood systems

   Pillar Lead: Kumar Mallikarjunan, University of Minnesota, USA

• Identify potential partners and collaborate to identify technology and methodology needs and develop strategies to meet needs
• Coordinate and manage responses to Request for Applications from funding agencies and in special circumstances undertake projects such as developing standards for more uniform development and uptake of technology

II. Enhance entrepreneurship and business development

    Pillar Leads: Terry Howell, Jr., University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Klein Ileleji, Purdue University

• Facilitate technology evaluation/transfer/scaling
• Help create international public/private partnership by identifying such opportunities
• Play an advocacy role to funders in setting investment priorities and fund allocation strategies

III. Promote capacity building and workforce development

     Pillar Leads: Dirk Maier, Iowa State University; Joseph Akowuah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

• In collaboration with academic institutions and research centers in the region, develop training/educational programs
• Through the network of international partners identify and create funding opportunities for training of professionals

IV. Promote infrastructure and policy framework

     Pillar Leads: Michael Ngadi, McGill University, Canada (michael.); U. Linus Opara Stellenbosch University, South Africa

• Identify potential partners/key players and funding for the development of infrastructure and policy framework