The 2nd JOOUST International Scientific Conference kicked off in earnest at the Grand Royal Swiss Hotel in Kisumu City on the 26th February 2019. The 4-day event attracted participants from Government, academia and industry in both local and international institutions.
The Conference which aims at providing an opportunity for participants to discuss the state of knowledge and practice in key priority areas for development as set out by the Government has attracted over 200 participants including renowned authors from East Africa, China, Italy and Scandinavia. Participants are expected to identify trends and needs in training research and policy development for the academia, private sector, government and other stakeholders.
The Chief Guest of the Conference, Dr. Evangeline Njoka, who is the Secretary General UNESCO Kenya Chapter, lauded the University for its choice of theme and sub-themes that are in line with the current global trends that focus of food security, blue economy and sustainable development. Dr. Njoka supported the idea of partnering with the industry for quality outputs from the conference papers.
While giving his keynote address and official opening remarks, Prof. Khama Rogo, a health expert, encouraged the participants to take advantage of the available resources and turn them into opportunities that would brighten the livelihoods of the locals. This was supported by the JOOUST Council Chairman Amb. Steven Loyatum who made an observation that the utilization of natural resources around us is not yet maximized since a lot is still lying idle.
While hailing the careful selection of the Conference theme,” Promoting Creativity Innovation and Productivity for Sustainable Development”, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Stephen Agong’ stressed the need for strong industry linkages through collaborations and the need to transfer such knowledge to industry for purposes of preserving and use of the knowledge.
Other Scholars and renowned researchers who gave and are set to give keynote addresses at the 4-day event include Prof. Khama Rogo of The World Bank, Dr. Ali Matano of Lake Basin Commission Authority, Mr. John Omingo of Kenya Maritime Authority and Prof. Hamadi Boga PS State Department of Agricultural Research.
Among the guests in attendance were Dr. Obiero Ogone CEC Education Kisumu County, representing the Governor Kisumu County, H.E Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o and Dr. James Okumbe , the Deputy Governor Siaya County representing the Governor Siaya County , H.E Cornel Rasanga.
Partners and sponsors for the event included; The Standard Group, National Research Fund, Kenya Maritime Authority, Siaya County Government, KCB Bank, Co-operative Bank, The World Bank, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development and the Lake Basin Commission.