UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

Transcription

1 UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI WELCOMING REMARKS BY PROF. PETER M.F. MBITHI VICE-CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, DURING XX1 AETFAT CONGRESS 2017 HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017 AT CUEA AUDITORIUM AT 9.30 A.M.

2 2 Distinguished guests Members of the AETFAT Organizing committees Colleagues participants Ladies and gentlemen

3 3 I wish to extend a warm welcome to all of you participants to this international conference on tropical plant resources in Africa. Let me say here that the University of Nairobi is honoured to co-host this conference with the National Museums of Kenya, and other partner institutions. I thank the National Organizing Committee led by Drs. Geoffrey Mwachala of NMK and Dr. Catherine Lukhoba of UoN, as well as the International Committee for their dedication and commitment to this conference.

4 4 Significance of the conference I note that the theme of the 21 st Congress of AETFAT which reads Systematics, Biogeography and Conservation of African Plants and Fungi is very relevant coming at an important time in the history of Africa when her plant diversity is shrinking primarily because of unsustainable exploitation for different purposes. The challenge that Africa now faces is how to increase and manage her natural resources to meet the demands of the growing population.

5 5 Kenya s plant diversity Kenya is endowed with a high diversity of plants, comprising over 7000 species. This immense floral resource has not been fully researched to expose its true value. Scientists from the University of Nairobi, National Museums of Kenya and other partner organizations have been conducting research with the broad aim of establishing the true value of the resource for supporting sustainable development in Kenya.

6 6 Significance of plant resources Kenya s tropical flora has been contributing to production of food, wood, medicine and fibre. Plants therefore form an important resource base for social and economic development in Africa. This is especially so in Kenya where agriculture forms the backbone of the national economy. Role of the university For nearly 50 years, the University of Nairobi has been building national capacity for research, conservation and biotechnology. The University has been at the

7 7 forefront in training scientists in the areas of plant ecology and conservation, taxonomy, physiology, genetics and plant propagation. The University of Nairobi Herbarium, which was founded in 1964, has become an important facility providing opportunities for training in plant taxonomy and in providing taxonomic services to national and foreign scientists as well as members of the public. This herbarium houses the collections of the two renowned taxonomists i.e. Dr. Andrew Agnew (author of Uplands Kenya Wild Flowers) and Prof. John Kokwaro

8 8 (author of Medicinal plants of East Africa). Plant research and inventory work as well as valuable innovations are also being generated from the School of Biological Sciences in Chiromo Campus and in the departments of crop breeding and crop protection in the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, Upper Kabete Campus. The University of Nairobi is deeply aware of the need to increase the amount of research coming from Africa and the significance of sharing information generated from such research so as to inform policy and decision

9 9 making. The University is committed to sustainable utilization of plant resources. To achieve this objective, the University has been involved in the planting of trees within its campuses as well as in Kenya s water towers such as the Mau forest in the Rift Valley. We are also currently developing efficient biomass energy initiatives that can be up-scaled so as to increase their access by rural communities that depend on biomass energy for generating heat. The University is partnering with other universities, research and conservation institutions as well as industry in order to

10 10 develop innovations in plant genetics, sustainable technologies of plant breeding and propagation as well as in bio-prospecting for wild genes and pharmaceutical products. In conclusion, I wish to emphasize that the University of Nairobi is committed to ensuring that there is greater scientific discourse. This conference will certainly draw the attention of plant scientists worldwide to the immense floral resources of tropical Africa. I wish you well in your deliberations and I trust that the outcomes of this conference will foster

11 11 conservation and sustainable use of Africa s most important heritage, its floral diversity. Thank you. PETER M.F MBITHI, PhD, EBS VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PROFESSOR OF VETERINARY SURGERY