The University of Eldoret Management Board hosted the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) for a three-day high-level engagement under the Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev 2.0) program, from September 17–19, 2025.
The deliberations commenced with the University’s leadership team, led by Prof. Godfrey Netondo (Ag. Vice-Chancellor), alongside Prof. Philip Raburu (Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Planning, Research and Extension), Prof. Wilson Ng’etich (Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Administration and Finance), Prof. Victor Kimeli (Registrar – Administration), and Mr. Steven Anditi (Senior Legal Officer). Together, they engaged RUFORUM’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Patrick Okori and the TAGDev Coordinator Prof. Julius Ochuodho on how the TAGDev 2.0 program can be embedded within UoE’s institutional system for accelerated impact.
In the subsequent session, Prof. Okori held focused discussions with the Deans of Schools and Directors: Dr. Nicholas Rop (Agriculture and Biotechnology), Dr. Carolyne Ayuma (Business, Economics and Management Sciences), Dr. Mark Kiptui (Environmental Science and Natural Resource Management), Prof. Everlyn Rotich (Health and Wellness), Prof. Donald Otieno (Science), Dr. Kibioy Lelei (Dean of Students), and Prof. Gertrude Were (Director, Quality Assurance). These discussions centered on co-creating transformative pathways in teaching, research, and outreach, ensuring TAGDev 2.0 aligns with each school’s academic and community-driven agenda.
The TAGDev 2.0 Work Package leads, coordinated by Prof. Julius Ochuodho, presented innovative strategies for program delivery and how this would impact the university and the community. Highlighting the ASEC Dairy Value Chain’s theory of change, Prof. Ochuodho emphasized that TAGDev 2.0 goes beyond academic support, positioning the university as a driver of rural transformation, youth employment, and inclusive innovation. Dr. Javan Were further guided conversations on monitoring, evaluation, and impact tracking, underlining the importance of evidence-based performance in achieving measurable change.
The engagement closed with the RUFORUM Secretariat working alongside the UoE TAGDev Technical Team to refine the 100-Day Triples Journey, a bold push to triple impact within 100 days. Prof. Okori challenged the teams to transition “from hundreds and thousands to tens of thousands,” using the ASEC Theory of Change to scale delivery and ensure accelerated returns on investment in higher education and agricultural transformation. Mr. Eriyau reinforced this call with a financial outlook, urging teams to maximize value for money and institutional efficiency.
The strengthened RUFORUM–University of Eldoret partnership represents a significant milestone in harmonizing leadership, aligning strategies, and deepening accountability. By prioritizing student-centered innovation, collaborative delivery, and institutional transformation, TAGDev 2.0 is charting a new course for African universities to deliver change at scale empowering not just hundreds, but thousands of young people to become agricultural leaders and community transformers.
