Biosciences eastern and central Africa Hub: Capacity Building
Empowering African scientists to solve Africa’s agricultural challenges
Segenet Kelemu
Director, BecA Hub
Nairobi, Kenya

Initial hosting arrangements and the creation of BecA
AU/NEPAD – Africa Biosciences Initiative (ABI): Creation of four regional networks:
1. BecA (Biosciences eastern and central Africa) for countries in eastern and central Africa
2. SANBio (Southern African Network for Biosciences) for southern African countries
3. WABNet (West African Biosciences Network) consisting of ECOWAS countries
4. NABNet (North African Biosciences Network) for the countries in North Africa.

2.
3.
4.
1. Research
Core competencies and research programs in agriculture: crop, animal health and microbial sciences
5.
Capacity building and training
Research and Technology-related services
Focal point for the agricultural research community in eastern and central Africa
Promotion of product development and delivery

• Genomics/Metagenomics
• Functional genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Genetic engineering
• Diagnostics
• Molecular breeding (marker development and application)
• Proteomics
• Vaccine technology/Immunology
• Vectors (e.g. ticks)
• Mycotoxins

• Strengthen capacity of individuals and institutions to harness the latest biosciences technologies to improve agriculture in Africa
• Support African scientists efforts to lead and sustain biosciences research in Africa
• Promote access to world-class research and training facilities at the BecA–ILRI
Hub

• Research placements and individual/small group trainees (275 from 21 African countries since
2007)
• Training workshops (49 workshops; 1120 trainees from 21 African countries since 2007)
• Institutional capacity building
• Creating linkages and partnerships; information sharing; creating awareness of BecA-ILRI Hub
• Conferences

• Established in September 2010
• New and innovative way of building African biosciences capacity while tackling agricultural constraints
• Established as part of the BecA-CSIRO partnership with funding from AusAID
• Expanded with funding from BMGF and the Swedish
Ministry for Foreign Affairs through Sida
• Core support from Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable
Agriculture
• Growing number of capacity building partners providing co-support (AWARD, ASARECA, UNECSO, LEAP, IFS)

Research outputs, plus
Building capacity to do research
 Technical skills
 Good lab practice and H&S
 Research ethics
 Science communication
• Presentations, posters
• Publications
 Develop partnerships
 Research sustainability

Photo credit: A. Bombom
• Striga resistance in sorghum
• Passion fruit virus diagnostics
• Maize-sorghum hybrids
• PPR thermostable vaccine
• East Coast fever: rapid sero-diagnostics
• Disease studies
- Cassava virus - CBSD - first description in DRC
- Potential new races of wheat stem rust Ug99 (Kenya)
- Possible new Taro virus (Ethiopia/Burundi)
- New virus (Ndumu) in pigs - (Uganda)
- African Swine Fever diversity (Uganda)
- Northern limit of East Coast fever in South Sudan

Alexander Bombom (Uganda)
• Maize-sorghum hybrids
• Invited BMGF proposal
Dr Felix Meutchieye (Cameroon)
• Cameroon goat diversity
• BecA-Sweden project
Dr Dora Kilalo (Kenya)
• Passion fruit virus rapid diagnostics
• BecA-Sweden project

…and many more

Australia, Benin, Cameroon, England, Ethiopia, Italy, Kenya, USA