On Tuesday 16 May from 10.00 to 13.00, a meeting was held in Gembloux in the framework of the RESSAC project ": Agroecological intensification of shifting cultivation systems for the promotion of food security in peri-urban forest areas of the Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This project, funded by the European Union through CIFOR, is implemented by Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, ENABEL Tshopo and ERAIFT.

4 Master scholarships for 4 final works are reserved for ERAIFT (4th promotion). ERAIFT thanks the European Union and CIFOR for this funding.

On Wednesday 17 May from 14.00 to 15.30, upon invitation of the Dean, Professor Frédéric Francis, a meeting was held in Gembloux in the framework of the preparation of the future meeting of 2 June 2023 at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) between the University of Liège (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech) and the University of Ghent (Faculty of Bioscience Engineering) concerning the "Alliance for Yangambi".

IFA-Yangambi and ERAIFT thank the Dean of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech for the invitation.

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.

ERAIFT is pleased to inform all of its technical and financial partners, the scientific and academic community and the public about the new Fundraising Director, Mr Olivier MUSHIETE. He will support the ERAIFT Board in the process of mobilising extra-budgetary funds through the drafting and development of new projects at national, regional and international levels for institutional sustainability.

ERAIFT welcomes New Fundraising Director and wishes him full success in his new duties. Finally, ERAIFT express its gratitude to the European Union through AGRINATURA for budgeting of this new function through the project "Capacity building of biodiversity practitioners, scientists and policy makers for the sustainable management of protected areas and forest ecosystems in Africa.

Mr Olivier Mushiete's contact is: Email : Olivier Mushiete: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.