Within the framework of the opening of its educational system throughout the world, ERAIFT was honored by the visit of Professor, Etotépé A. SOGBOHOSSOU, Director of Environment at Senghor Alexandria University. After a fruitful exchange with the management of ERAIFT, our interlocutor spoke with the 40 masters of the 4th promotion currently in specialization in semester 3. Through her exchanges, it was mainly a question of studying the ways and means to encourage the mobility of students and trainers between the two institutions, namely ERAIFT (Kinshasa, DRC) and Senghor Alexandria University (Egypt).

While welcoming this initiative of mobility so much advocated by ERAIFT, the Director Baudouin MICHEL, requested a meeting with the General Delegate and Director of the Center of Wallonia Brussels International in Kinshasa, Mrs. Kathryn BRAHY.

Thus, on Thursday April 06, 2023, the Academic and Research Secretary of ERAIFT, Professor Jean-Pierre MATE, on the instruction of the Director of ERAIFT (on mission), led Mrs. Etotépé A. SOGBOHOSSOU, to the WBI Center in Kinshasa. In her message addressed to the General Delegate and Director of the WBI Center in Kinshasa, our interlocutor began by showing the similarities between the two institutions, as a Regional School and the purpose of their training on the rational and sustainable management of biodiversity resources.

Mrs. Etotépé A. SOGBOHOSSOU wishes to encourage the mobility of ERAIFT students at the ERAIFT research stations in Luki and Yangambi, in the two Biosphere Reserves. To ensure this mobility, it is desirable that the students have access to funding sources to support their stay in the field

For her part, Ms. Kathryn BRAHY was receptive and supportive of this initiative, recalling the principle of complementary research grants that formerly, the DWBI made available to ERAIFT, to support this type of training activities. She recommended to her interlocutor, to start by sealing a memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, and then to lobby partners to support these initiatives to encourage South-South mobility. With this, Mrs. Etotépé A. SOGBOHOSSOU promised to transmit, very soon, to ERAIFT, a draft protocol of inter-institutional collaboration.

ERAIFT sincerely thanks the European Union for the support to its training and research program and for the renewed confidence. ERAIFT is also grateful to the Kingdom of Belgium for its current support in the Yangambi landscape and to DWBI for its past support through complementary research and training grants. Finally, the same gratitude is extended to the Kingdom of Sweden and WWF for their support to the Luki Biosphere Reserve.