The Department of Informatics and Information Technology is pleased to announce a double victory, as they have successfully secured not one, but TWO grants. These grants, generously funded by COSTECH, IDRC and NORAD, represent a significant accomplishment for the department and the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS) at Sokoine University of Agriculture. The first team, under the guidance of Dr. Michael P. J. Mahenge, has emerged victorious in obtaining a grant for their pioneering project titled “Development of Artificial Empowered Crop Disease Surveillance Prediction and Management.” The accomplished team includes members such as Dr. Farian Ishengoma, Prof Camilius A. Sanga, Dr Richard Madeghe, Dr Beatrice Mwaipopo, and collaborators from TPHPA and RECODA.

Three staff from SUA, Ms. Catherine Mangare, Dr. Hadijah Mbwana and Ms. Rehema Mwawado, are attending the Innovative Summer School in Rabat, Morocco, which is aimed at empowering African women in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The three staff are from the Department of Informatics and Information Technology, Department of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, and Mizengo Pinda Campus College at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), respectively. This initiative, known as Women in Tech & AI, is a collaboration between the OCP Foundation and the Ai Movement at Mohamed VI Polytechnic University.