JKUAT, Bidco Africa to train graduates in technical skills

A section of JKUAT Main Campus in Juja, Kiambu County. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By KEVIN ROTICH
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Summary

• Students from the JKUAT will be trained on food production, value addition and entrepreneurial skills amid rising unemployment rate blamed on the current education system.
• The new partnership with Bidco will provide research platforms, linkages and opportunities in the private sector for capacity building and technology development.
• JKUAT vice chancellor Victoria Wambui Ngumi said the partnership comes at a time when the institution is repositioning itself as a research and entrepreneurial university.

Students from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) will be trained on food production, value addition and entrepreneurial skills amid rising unemployment rate blamed on the current education system.

The new partnership with Bidco will provide research platforms, linkages and opportunities in the private sector for capacity building and technology development.

JKUAT vice chancellor Victoria Wambui Ngumi said the partnership comes at a time when the institution is repositioning itself as a research and entrepreneurial university.

“This cannot be actualised without the input of key industry players like Bidco Africa,” Prof. Ngumi said.

She noted that the university boasts various cutting-edge innovations in engineering, agriculture, information communication and technology, health and built environment, but the main challenge ia commercialisation of such ideas.

“The memorandum of understanding gives our student innovators a chance to be more innovative to develop technologies that will enhance the farmers’ productivity by becoming more efficient and cost effective while also reducing post-harvest losses,

“Thus, Bidco will be handy in identifying the challenges affecting productivity and the quality of produce the market needs,” she added.

Bidco Africa Group director Chris Diaz said the projects aligns with the efforts to establish more technical institutions to equip learners with skills.

“This will be a boost to the food security and nutrition pillar of the Big Four agenda as it will onboard innovations to enhance value addition through good agronomic practices such as developing superior genetic materials that will enhance high yielding that can withstand the impacts of climate change,” said Mr Diaz.