MINISTER OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND INNOVATION GRANTS AUDIENCE TO CIRAD REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR CENTRAL AFRICA
The Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, granted an audience to a CIRAD delegation led by its Regional Director for Central Africa.
On 29 May 2024, the Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Dr Madeleine TCHUINTE, granted an audience to CIRAD’s Regional Director for Central Africa, Dr Thierry LEROY. The latter attended the audience, together with Jean-Paul Laclau, Director of the Department for Performance of Tropical Production and Processing Systems, as well as Jean-Michel Harmand, an agroforestry researcher. Some of MINRESI’s close collaborators were also present, including the Director General of the Agricultural Research Institute for Development (IRAD).
Discussions revolved around identifying priority areas requiring CIRAD’s adequate and efficient support in the field of agricultural research in Cameroon.
The Minister stressed the need to implement the “one researcher, one company” slogan, urging CIRAD to support Cameroon researchers in making their research activities more professional. This implies that research findings should enable researchers to embark on scientific entrepreneurship by setting up businesses aimed at generating wealth for Cameroon’s development.
Training, maintenance, project development and monitoring feature prominently among Cameroon’s National Research and Innovation System (SNRI) and CIRAD’s priority areas of action. In the area of training, the Minister stressed the importance of supporting the 25 students granted annual scholarships as well as those who are part of the Hubert-Curien Partnership. These two scholarship programmes are a spin-off from the Cameroon Week of Science held in France from 3 to 7 April 2023.
Dr Thierry LEROY reiterated CIRAD’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Government through MINRESI and IRAD in order to enable Cameroon to ensure food security, which is a priority issue. He also announced the forthcoming celebration of CIRAD’s 40th anniversary and seized the opportunity to seek the support of MINRESI.
Discussions rounded off with both parties reasserting their willingness to work in genuine collaboration, and the hope that the existing partnership would continue to be as beneficial and fruitful as ever for Cameroon and France.
©CelTrad/MINRESI
