Global Days and the New Africa-France Summit in Pictures
From October 4 to 7, the University of Montpellier and its partners in the I-Site MUSE project organized the“Montpellier Global Days: Africa 2021”in the lead-up to the Africa-France Summit. These four days of academic events drew a total of more than 2,000 participants who came to listen and discuss six key themes. The event also provided an opportunity to sign the strategic partnership agreement between the MUSE partners and to celebrate the three new and prestigious honorary doctorates awarded by the University of Montpellier. A look back in pictures.
More than 2,000 people, both in person and remotely, took part in these four days of scientific discussions. Debates and roundtables marked the first two days of the event, which was organized around six main themes: biodiversity; water; food systems; global health and the One Health approach; agroecological transitions; and technologies applied to “feeding, healing, and protecting.”
THEMATIC DAYS ON OCTOBER 4 AND 5
The thematic days on food systems were held on October 4 and 5 at Agropolis International. The roundtable discussions included topics such as“Sustainable Food Systems,”“Food Systems and Markets,” and“Feeding Africa’s Growing Cities” …
In addition to researchers from Muse in Montpellier, the event brought together researchers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Tunisia, Morocco, and South Africa, led by Patrick Caron, UM’s vice president for international affairs. Representatives from the City of Montpellier and a Senegalese ambassador were also in attendance.
Technology experts gathered on the Saint-Priest campus on October 4 and 5 to discuss the question, “What technologies can we use to heal, feed, and protect?” From South Africa, Djibouti, Senegal, Niger, and Côte d’Ivoire, many participants took part in these three roundtable discussions moderated by Laurent Dusseau (CSU), Lionel Torres (Polytech), Pascal Bonnet (CIRAD), Nicolas Baghdadi, and Isabelle Piot-Lepetit (INRAE).
The members of MUSE and their African, local, regional, and international partners have established long-standing collaborations. Partners gathered at CIRAD for these two days dedicated to agroecology.
Elisabeth Claverie de Saint Martin, President and CEO of CIRAD.
Can agroecology help make agricultural supply chains more sustainable? The example of cocoa.
The water-themed event was organized under the direction of Eric Servat, director of the UNESCO Icireward Center.
Among the experts who came from across the African continent was Fatimatou Sall of Senegal, from the Association of Young Water and Sanitation Professionals.
Alongside the roundtable discussions, an exhibition showcasing research projects conducted in Africa was held in the lobby of the Botanical Institute.
International partnerships, infectious disease challenges, One Health approaches… Glenda Grey, President and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), led these two days dedicated to international health.
Alongside Glenda Grey, Philippe Vande Peer, head of the virology and bacteriology department at Montpellier University Hospital and a researcher at Inserm, moderated part of the discussion at the “Aimé Schoenig” Student Center.
Biodiversity was, of course, a much-anticipated topic. The roundtable discussions took place at the Institute of Botany and were led by Montpellier-based researchers Rutger De Wit (CNRS), Philippe Jarne (CNRS), and Daniel Barthelemy (CIRAD).
Allassane Ouattara, a professor at the University of Abidjan (Ivory Coast), came to present his work on the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, integrated water resources management, aquaculture development, and fisheries management.
THE INTERDISCIPLINARY DAYS ON OCTOBER 6 AND 7
Following these two days of thematic discussions, numerous experts took the stage once again at the School of Pharmacy and then at the Arena for a summary session and further discussions. Among them were:
Nadine Andrieu, an agronomist at CIRAD, presenting the findings of the agroecology group.
Prisca Mugabe of the University of Zimbabwe, rapporteur for the biodiversity group.
Oula Amrouni, a Tunisian researcher at the National Institute of Marine Science and Technology.
Nicolas Meda, former Minister of Health of Burkina Faso and an epidemiologist, spoke on behalf of the “International Health” group.
Aboubaker Hassan, from Djibouti’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research, presented the summary from the “Technologies for Feeding, Healing, and Protecting” group
Many prominent figures from the African research community and civil society gathered around Tawana Kupe (see honorary doctorate), including Michèle Mboo-Tchouawou of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development in Kenya. Joyene Isaacs of the ARC in South Africa, Alpha Kabinet Keita of the Center for Research and Training in Infectious Diseases in Guinea, Kako Nubukpo of the Economic Community of West African States, and Alice Ruhweza of WWF Africa…
Sina Schlimmer of the Sub-Saharan Africa Center at the French Institute for International Research
The afternoon was then devoted to a roundtable discussion between civil society representatives and researchers on various topics, including the Great Green Wall. French Minister of Agriculture Julien de Normandie participated in the discussion.
The discussion on development through higher education brought together students with Moussa Diaby of the Houphouët Boigny National Polytechnic Institute in Côte d’Ivoire and Serigne Magueye Gueye, director general of the Franco-Senegalese campus.
Valérie Verdier, President and CEO of IRD, participated in the roundtable discussion titled “What Are the Prospects and Pathways for Development Through Research?”
Habiba Chaabouni, from the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, attended the roundtable discussion titled “Building Tomorrow’s Intelligence Together for Africa and the World”
Closing ceremony of the Montpellier Global Days with Philippe Augé of the University of Montpellier, Sophie Béjean, Rector of the Occitanie Academy, Michaël Delafosse of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, and the City of Montpellier
The New Africa-France Summit (October 8)
Higher education, research, and innovation were at the heart of the program organized for the New Africa-France Summit at the Arena on October 8. Watch the video.
Throughout these two days of presentations and discussions, visitors streamed into the 300-square-meter space dedicated to ESRI.
Astou Camara of the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research, Prisca Mugabe of the University of Zimbabwe, and Abdoulaye Touré of the Center for Research and Training in Infectious Diseases in Guinea.
Philippe Augé at the Arena during the wrap-up day.
Philippe Nérin of SATT AxLR was present alongside Bouna Kane, director of Simplon Afrique, a startup offering training in digital professions.
Students with Siaka Koné from the Houphouët Boigny National Polytechnic Institute (Ivory Coast) and Serigne Magueye from the Franco-Senegalese Campus
Patrick Caron, UM’s Executive Vice President for International Affairs, speaks with Youba Sokona, Vice Chair of the IPCC
Antoine Petit, CEO of the CNRS
The ESRI session at the New Africa-France Summit concluded with the signing of a strategic agreement between the partners of the MUSE project, in the presence of the President of the UM and all the CEOs and directors of the partner schools, research organizations, and university hospitals, as well as Sophie Béjean, Rector of the Occitanie Academic Region
HONORARY DEGREES
These Global Days – Africa 2021 also provided an opportunity to confer honorary doctorates from the University of Montpellier on three leading figures in African research.
Chipepo Kankasa is a pediatrician in Zambia, where she works at Lusaka Hospital. Watch the video.
It was from Philippe Augé, and at the recommendation of Philippe Vande Peer (on the left in the photo)—a doctor specializing in the fight against AIDS in Africa—that he was awarded an honorary degree. Watch the video.
Denis Mukwege, known as “the man who mends women,” is a Congolese gynecologist and the founder of Panzi Hospital. This facility specifically treats women who have been 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 lecture in the Rabelais Hall to present his latest book , *The Strength of Women*, in which he describes the method developed at Panzi Hospital.
An honorary doctorate recipient 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 for International Affairs. Tawana Kupe is a Zimbabwean-South African academic. He is the president ofthe University of PretoriainSouth Africa and a specialist in media studies and journalism. Watch the video.
Tawana Kupe and Philippe Augé at the ceremony. Watch the video.