Page 37 - Science in Africa

Doctor Achille Assogbadjo

Managing our sustainable resources

octor Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo is an wild crop relatives for which he is a regional 60 BSc, 60 MSc and three PhD students with
agronomist and forester with a special leader for the sub-Saharan Africa region. eight MScs and eight PhDs currently registered.
Dinterest in non-timber forest products. He has been granted more than 20 individual His scientific research since 2000 has yielded
He is a doctor in Applied Biological Sciences research grants (TWAS, IFS, Vavilov, AFP, IITO, more than 120 scientific publications in
with experience in population genetics, British Ecological Society, Rufford SG) and 10 international peer-reviewed journals, books and
ethnobotany, conservation and domestication of regional and international research projects (UE, proceedings of scientific conferences.
forest genetic resources used by indigenous AU, UEMOA, CORAF/World Bank, RUFORUM, His research activities helped him to win four
people. FNRSIT, UAC). international prizes: the Ebi Kimanani Memorial
He belongs to more than 10 scientific As such, he has been involved in several Fellowship Award in 2008 (Peru), the Heinz and
networks such as the medicinal and edible projects on ecosystems management, sustainable Johannes Prize for the best scientific research
forest plants network of the South Saharan management of natural resources and/or paper on ecology in Africa in 2009 (Germany), a
African Forest Genetic Programme, the Society endangered plant species conservation and prize of the Belgian Development Cooperation in
of Economic Botany, the International Union for domestication. 2010.
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World He has participated in more than 70 In 2014, he was awarded the honorary title,
Commission on Protected Areas, and the IUCN international conferences and 20 training The Name in Science, by the Socrates Committee
Species Survival Commission specialist group on workshops. To date, he has graduated more than (Oxford, UK).

Cate Nimanya

ate Nimanya is the Ugandan
director of Water For People,
which began its work in Sanitation
Uganda in September 2008 by
building relationships with
Cgovernment, the private sector
and local development organisations, to learn FOR THE PEOPLE
more about the population’s water and
sanitation needs.
Working together with local partners,
Water For People Uganda is now supporting entrepreneur and community sanitation of sludge; and black soldier flies to
water and/or sanitation business initiatives in needs. Through SaniHub, there is focus on decompose faecal sludge.
six districts: Kamwenge, Kampala, Kitgum, facilitating technology development to ensure Water For People Uganda also supports
Lira, Masaka and Soroti. that the products and services meet various sanitation businesses,
In 2013, Water For People Uganda was market needs, rather than simply connecting them to the tried-and-
awarded a research grant by the Water being developed as defined by tested SaniHub technologies and
Research Commission through the Sanitation the original objectives. providing business support.
Research Fund for Africa Programme, co- Technologies that have been Water For People works to
funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates developed through SaniHub, identify sanitation
Foundation. include the Rammer, a simple entrepreneurs and connects
Through the research grant, Water For mechanical pit-emptying them to the financial capital
People Uganda is promoting a market-based technology; the Decentralised necessary to run their business,
approach to sanitation by working with Faecal Sludge Treatment System while also providing direct
sanitation businesses and testing different (DeFAST); a tin toilet that serves business development services.
approaches to increase demand and supply areas with a high water table and Several of these products have been
of sanitation services. collapsing soils; and the Durasan and tiger upscaled and achieved commercialisation,
A key component of Water For People toilets, among others. including two full-scale DeFAST plants.
Uganda’s sanitation work is its research, The SaniHub team is currently researching Nimanya holds an MSc in Water Resources
which is done through SaniHub, a team of and testing the Pump-and-Go pit-emptying and Environmental Management and a BSc
engineers that conducts research and tests device, which makes pit emptying faster; the (Hons) in Geology and Chemistry from the
different sanitation technologies to best meet Grappler to facilitate efficient transportation Makerere University, Uganda.
SCIENCE IN AFRICA 37