By Lydia Legbo/ Lami Bawa
The Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety (ACEMFS) at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) is currently hosting a workshop for the Erasmus+ ABC BlendED Mobility Exchange Program. This event focuses on addressing issues in waste management and seed banking.
The workshop takes place from July 22nd to 27th, 2024, at the Board Room, ACEMFS, FUTMINNA Main Campus.
Receiving the Team at the Center, Prof. Anthony Hussaini Makun, the Centre Leader of ACEMFS, highlighted the significance of the Erasmus scholarship, a prestigious European Union grant that enables global student mobility, particularly benefiting African students for strategic research in top-tier universities.
He mentioned the grant’s acquisition by Professor Evans Egwin and his partners in Europe and Africa, which includes students from Nigeria, Uganda, and Mozambique. This partnership aims to leverage ACEMFS’s expertise in training foreign students, enhancing the university’s international reputation.
The Vice-Chancellor of FUTMINNA, Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, while welcoming the team at Senate Chamber, Main Campus appreciated their efforts and emphasize the benefits of international collaboration in agriculture, leading to food security and improved waste management.
Prof. Evans Egwin, the Nigeria coordinator, explained that the ABC BlendED Mobility Exchange Program, which began three years ago, integrates African and European perspectives. The program, involving six African universities and three European partners, started in Uganda in May 2024. It aims to solve agricultural challenges related to waste management and seed banking, with students collaborating online to develop solutions until 2026.
Key participants include Prof. Evans Egwin (FUTMINNA), Prof. Anthonia I. Achuke (University of Nigeria Nsukka), Dr. Helen Aluku (Soroti University, Uganda), Dr. Prossy Isubikalu (Makerere University, Uganda), Dr. Paulino Bartolomeu (Universidade Zambeze, Mozambique), Dr. Rogerio Chiulele (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique), and European team members Nuno Esudeiro and Kristien Vanassche.
