Hands-off president for hands-on skills

Mwai Kibaki has advised scholars in universities to bequeath students with education that imparts hands-on skills in order to overcome critical challenges facing nations.

President Kibaki noted that there was felt need for institutions of higher learning to narrow the gap between academic theory and practice in efforts to conquer various threats facing developing countries.

The Head of State asserted that despite numerous research works in Africa many citizens live in abject poverty aggravated by hunger and decreased wealth creation opportunities because research findings never reach them as the end users.

"I challenge universities and other research institutions to find ways of translating research findings into innovations applicable to the end users so that they can make a difference in their day to day economic and social activities," said the President.

The President made the remarks Monday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) during the official opening of the Sixth Conference of the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research for Agriculture

President Kibaki said, "The leading researchers should get more home-grown solutions to our basic problems so that our people are not only free from the threat of hunger, but are also empowered enough to embark on real wealth creation ventures."

He challenged leading researchers to avail home-grown solutions to familiar problems that confront ordinary wananchi and asserted that problems such as food insecurity lie within the area of expertise of researchers.

The President affirmed, "Food insecurity remains a fundamental challenge to developing countries. Among key causes of food insecurity are population increase; adverse impact of climate change and environmental degradation, and changes in consumption patterns. To adequately address these challenges, a variety of interventions including improved governance, technological advancement and cultural adaptations are required."

The Head of State advocated that agricultural biotechnology be prioritized in order to arrest ravaging effects of famine in the country and the African continent at large.

The President noted that the Government was vigorously encouraging farmers to adopt modern faming practices through use of high quality planting materials, improved and drought resistant seed varieties to not only boost food security but also enable farmers create wealth.

President Kibaki further reaffirmed that Climate Change had triggered serious challenges to agricultural productivity due to erratic weather patterns and causing a three-year drought in the country.

"It had led to massive losses to both crop and livestock farmers leading to massive food shortages and very poor performance of agricultural-related industries. There is now a sigh of relief as we are hopeful of receiving adequate rains during the current short-rain season," said the Head of State.

He confirmed that as a commitment to explore and implement long-lasting solutions against various problems facing the country and the continent in general, the Government has increased resource allocation for science, technology and innovation.

President Kibaki said, "Particular areas of interest here include enhanced funding for universities and other research institutions, and the promotion of Private-Public Partnerships. It is our hope that with all these measures in place, Kenya and the rest of Africa will achieve a reasonable level of food sustainability."

Noting that the Conference had been organized at a time when the entire globe was experiencing serious challenges such as the current economic meltdown, food insecurity, increased energy costs and health challenges, the President urged participants to create practical steps to tackle the threats.

The Head of State noted that the Government was implementing an economic stimulus package intended to create an impetus to the country's economy in order cushion vulnerable Kenyans against the effects of the global economic decline especially loss of livelihoods.

He observed, "The global economic instability, for example, has particularly affected the developing world, Kenya included. Some of the direct effects include reduced remittances from the Diaspora and a severe drop in earnings from tourism and agricultural exports. As a consequence, there has been marked drop in employment and productivity levels, thus adversely affecting the vulnerable members of society."

With regard to the energy sector, President Kibaki said that over reliance on fossil fuels and hydroelectric power elicit huge financial pressure due to high oil costs thus eroding resources earmarked to fund vital sectors in many developing countries.

He remarked, "Fossil fuels remain costly, while hydro-electric power is dependent on rainfall, which is now erratic. This has impacted negatively especially on small scale farmers and food processors who are responsible for most of Africa's food production."

The Head of State appealed to scientists to develop bio-fuels from plants products in order to meet energy requirements among nations despite the challenges posed by the Climate Change.

He told the participants the Government was currently exploring alternative energy sources with focus shifting to geothermal, solar and wind energy particularly to improve rural electricity supply from the current four per cent to 12 per cent .

The President noted, "I hope this Conference will come up with practical proposals on how to make bio-energy widely available to humankind. Meanwhile, various Governments continue the search for alternative sources of energy."

The Head of State commended Kenya's premier technology training institution, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology for hosting the international conference and expressed the continued Government's commitment to expand higher education.

He asserted, "The Kenya Government appreciates the crucial role that university education, training and research plays in the production of high-level human resource needed for national development. For this reason, we have continued to increase investments in tertiary education."

Other speakers included Higher Education, Science and Technology Assistant Minister Kilemi Mwiria, the President of the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research for Agriculture (GCHERA) Prof Nick Wanjohi, GCHERA founder member Dr. Dymetro Melnychuk and Higher Education Permanent Secretary Prof. Cripus Kiamba among others.