World Food Day: African Action for Zero Hunger
New international partnership to support world-class research across Africa and beyond
In a new partnership aimed at boosting research across Africa and beyond, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) have signed an agreement to support higher education and coordinate efforts to address the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
New Director for ARUA Centre of Excellence in Food Security
The University of Pretoria (UP) is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda as Director of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence in Food Security, hosted at UP in collaboration with the Universities of Nairobi, Kenya and Ghana, Legon. Professor Sibanda will be supported by two co-Directors at UP – Professors Hettie Schönfeldt and Frans Swanepoel.
Quantum Meet-Up for ARUA Professors and Students
One year ago Wits University and IBM signed a historic collaborative agreement to bring quantum computing to the African continent — for free. Using a cloud service called the IBM Quantum Experience, ARUA professors and students can access real quantum computers and run experiments.
Confronting our Common Challenges
Africa and Europe have a unique opportunity to develop their relationship in new, strategic ways, through collaboration on common global challenges that delivers on the key objectives of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).
Obafemi Awolowo University publishes COVID-19 educational Handbills
The Obafemi Awolowo University has produced educational handbills in English and the local Yoruba language to support efforts at providing the general public with credible and fact-based information on the pandemic.
Stellenbosch University produces PPE and medical robot
At the university, several notable efforts have gone into the production of personal protective equipment, innovative tools for patient management and treatment therapies. For instance, the 3D printing laboratory of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stellenbosch University has been repurposed to print and assemble much-needed visors for front-line workers. Also, food scientists made 18 litres of alcohol-based hand sanitiser from stale bread crumbs in an in-house fermentation tank.
University of Ghana sequences COVID-19 Genome in Ghana
At the University of Ghana, scientists have successfully sequenced the genomes of the coronavirus in Ghana. The feat, which was achieved through the collaborative effort of scientists from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), represents an important milestone in understanding the variations of the virus and has already been shared on the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database. The Noguchi Memorial Institute, which is one of the two facilities initially designated for testing the Coronavirus remains Ghana’s primary testing facility for all suspected COVID-19 cases, accounting for over 80 percent of tests nationally. The University of Ghana also has a new 617-bed medical facility which has been designated as one of the COVID-19 care centres in Ghana.
University of Dar es Salaam develops Automatic Hand Washing Machine
The University of Dar Es Salaam has gone into the mass production of automatic handwashing machines following work done a final year Electrical Engineering Coet in 2019. The University is also reported to be in the final stages of obtaining approval for the mass production of hand sanitizers and masks while multi-disciplinary research on the efficacy of traditional medicine for treatment is also underway.
University of Ibadan produces sanitizers
A team from different departments and faculties at the University of Ibadan have produced hand sanitisers to address shortages on the market as well as provide a low-cost option for the university community.
