This forum was a response to the urgent call to give another direction to the Africa-Europe Partnership, which will effectively address the root causes of migration rather than focus on the migration issue. Indeed, participants in the forum dealt on innovation and digitalization as important enablers of the future development. The forum provided a great opportunity to engage with not only experts in the various fields like agriculture, digitalization, education to name but a few but also the potential investors through the round table discussions and later pitching opportunities. Information on collaboration and the on-going progress in capacity building, technology transfer, and job creation were shared to improve the living standards of the less fortunate. Also, the participants were informed of possible jobs disruption with respect to digitalization and asked to think about sustainable alternatives for the upcoming generation.
Anne Birundu is currently a Doctoral candidate at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). She was nominated within the APPEAR project Strengthening Capacities for Agricultural Education, Research and Adoption | SCARA in Kenya. Her studies are part of the research project on “Advancing Water Futures and Solutions in East Africa: Accelerating transition towards resilient water and food systems”, a cooperation between Egerton University, Kenya, ICRISAT and IIASA.
Vincent-Paul Sanon is currently a PhD Student from Burkina Faso, at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His doctoral studies are embedded in the APPEAR project Sustainable Management of Water and Fish Resources | SUSFISH-plus in Burkina Faso. His topic is “Traditional fisheries practices in transition: Dynamics and implications in Burkina Faso”. He has a rich experience of collaboration in research on health system in Burkina Faso. Vincent-Paul was responsible for the social science research in the Project e-PCIME with the Centre Muraz from 2015 to 2017. He served also as a research assistant in a project on community and equity in health. In 2012 Vincent-Paul also taught Rural Sociology at the Catholic University of West Africa, University Unit in Bobo-Dioulasso.