Global Days and the New Africa-France Summit in pictures
From October 4 to 7, the University of Montpellier and its partners in the MUSE I-Site project organized the " Montpellier Global Days: Africa 2021", ahead of the Africa-France Summit. Over 2,000 people attended the four-day scientific event to listen to and exchange ideas on six key themes. It was also an opportunity to sign the strategic agreement between the Muse partners and to celebrate the UM's three prestigious new Honorary Doctors. Back in pictures.
More than 2,000 participants took part in these four days of scientific exchange, either in person or remotely. Debates and round tables punctuated the first two days of these meetings organized around six main themes: biodiversity; water; food systems; international health and the one-health approach; agro-ecological transitions; technologies applied to "feed, care, protect".
THEME DAYS ON OCTOBER 4 AND 5
The thematic days on food systems were held on October 4 and 5 at Agropolis international. The program included round tables on "Sustainable food systems ", "Food systems and markets ", and "Feedingincreasingly populous African cities "...
In addition to Muse researchers from Montpellier, the event brought together researchers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Tunisia, Morocco and South Africa, in the presence of Patrick Caron, UM vice-president for international affairs. Representatives of the City of Montpellier and a Senegalese ambassador were also present.
On October 4 and 5, technology specialists gathered on the Saint-Priest campus to discuss the question of " Which technologies to care for, feed and protect? South Africa, Djibouti, Senegal, Niger and Côte d'Ivoire were among the many participants in the three round-table discussions led by Laurent Dusseau (CSU), Lionel Torres (Polytech), Pascal Bonnet (Cirad), Nicolas Baghdadi and Isabelle Piot-Lepetit (Inrae).
MUSE members and their African partners, whether local, regional or international, have established long-standing collaborations. Partners present at CIRAD for these two days devoted to agroecology.
Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, CIRAD President and CEO.
Agroecology as a means of moving towards the sustainability of commodity chains? The example of cocoa.
Eric Servat, director of the UNESCO Icireward center, was in charge of the days dedicated to water.
Among the specialists from all over Africa was Fatimatou Sall from Senegal's Association des jeunes professionnels de l'eau et de l'assainissement.
Alongside the round tables, an exhibition on research projects carried out in Africa was held in the hall of the Institute of Botany.
International partnerships, infectious disease issues, one-health approaches... Glenda Grey, President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), was the moderator for these two days devoted to international health.
Alongside Glenda Grey, Philippe Vande Peer, head of the virology and bacteriology department at Montpellier University Hospital and Inserm researcher, led part of the debate at the Aimé Schoenig student center.
Biodiversity was of course a much-anticipated theme. The round tables took place at the Institut de Botanique, under the direction of Rutger De Wit (CNRS), Philippe Jarne (CNRS) and Daniel Barthelemy (CIRAD) from Montpellier.
Allassane Ouattara, professor at the University of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), presented his work on the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, integrated water resource management, aquaculture development and fisheries management.
TRANSVERSAL DAYS OCTOBER 6 AND 7
After two days of thematic reflection, a host of experts once again took to the Faculty of Pharmacy and then the Arena stage for a synthesis exercise and new debates. Among them were :
Nadine Andrieu, agronomist at CIRAD, for the agroecology group's report.
Prisca Mugabe of the University of Zimbabwe, rapporteur for the biodiversity group.
Tunisia's Oula Amrouni, a researcher at the Institut national des sciences et technologies de la mer.
Nicolas Meda, former Minister of Health in Burkina-Faso and epidemiologist, spoke on behalf of the "Santé internationale" group.
Aboubaker Hassan, from Djibouti's Ministry of Higher Education and Research, presented a summary of the "technologies to feed-care-protect" group.
Tawana Kupe (see honorary doctorate) was joined by numerous figures from African research and civil society, including: Mboo-Tchouawou Michèle from African Women in Agricultural Research and Development in Kenya. Joyene Isaacs, from ARC in South Africa, Alpha Kabinet Keita, from the Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie in Guinea, Kako Nubukpo, from the West African Economic Union, Alice Ruhweza from WWF Africa...
Sina Schlimmer, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, French Institute for International Research
The afternoon was then devoted to a cross-disciplinary debate between civil society players and researchers on various themes, including the Great Green Wall. The French Minister of Agriculture, Julien de Normandie, took part in the debate.
The debate on development through higher education brought together students around Moussa Diaby, from the Institut national polytechnique Houphouët Boigny in Côte d'Ivoire, and Serigne Magueye Gueye, General Manager of the Franco-Senegalese campus.
Valérie Verdier, President and CEO of IRD, took part in the round table discussion: " What prospects and trajectories for development through research?
Habiba Chaabouni, from the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, took part in the round table " Building tomorrow's intelligence together for Africa and the world ".
Conclusion of Montpellier Global Days with Philippe Augé, Université de Montpellier, Sophie Béjean, Rectrice de l'Académie d'Occitanie, Michaël Delafosse, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole & Ville de Montpellier
The New Africa-France Summit (October 8)
Higher education, research and innovation were at the heart of the program set up for the New Africa-France Summit at the Arena on October 8. Watch the video.
Throughout the two days of presentations and discussions, visitors flocked to the 300 m2 space dedicated to ESRI.
Astou Camara from the Institut sénégalais de recherches agricoles, Prisca Mugabe from the University of Zimbabwe and Abdoulaye Touré from the Centre de recherche et de formation en infectiologie de Guinée.
Philippe Augé at the Arena during the wrap-up day.
Philippe Nérin from SATT AxLR was present alongside Bouna Kane, Director of Simplon Afrique, a start-up offering training in digital professions.
Students with Siaka Koné from the Institut national polytechnique Houphouët Boigny, (Côte d'Ivoire) and Serigne Magueye from the Campus franco-senegalais
Patrick Caron, UM Vice President International, talks to IPCC Vice President Youba Sokona.
Antoine Petit, CNRS CEO
The ESRI theme of the New Africa-France Summit concludes with the signing of a strategic agreement between the partners in the MUSE project, in the presence of the UM President and all the CEOs and directors of the partner schools, research organizations and university hospitals, and Sophie Béjean, Rectrice of the Occitanie academic region.
HONORARY MEMBERS
The Global Days - Africa 2021 were also an opportunity to award the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Montpellier to three great names in African research.
Chipepo Kankasa is a pediatrician in Zambia, where she practices at Lusaka Hospital. Watch the video.
At the suggestion of Philippe Vande Peer, a doctor (on the left in the photo) specializing in the fight against AIDS in Africa, Philippe Augé presented him with an honorary degree. Watch the video.
Denis Mukwege, nicknamed " the man who fixes women ", is a Congolese gynecologist and founder of Panzi Hospital. The hospital specifically cares for women victims of rape and sexual assault committed in the context of war. Denis Mukwege was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
The Congolese gynecologist gave a talk at the Salle Rabelais to present his latest book, La force des femmes , in which he describes the method developed at the Panzi hospital.
Honorary doctor and honorary citizen of Montpellier, the ceremony took place in the presence of Rector Sophie Béjean, Mayor Michaël Delafosse, President Philippe Augé, Dean Mondain and numerous vice-presidents and members of the Faculty of Medicine. Watch the video.
Tawana Kupe (right) and Patrick Caron, Executive Vice-President International. Tawana Kupe is a Zimbabwean-South African academic. He is President of theUniversity of Pretoria in South Africa, and a specialist in media studies and journalism. Watch the video.
Tawana Kupe and Philippe Augé at the ceremony. Watch the video.