AWARD is set to host more than 200 fellows, mentors, and fellow’s mentees from the 2013 and 2014 cohorts at regional progress fora in its three regions of operation—Eastern, Southern, and West Africa. The three events, scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya; Lilongwe Malawi; and Accra, Ghana in April 2015, will provide an opportunity for AWARD Fellows to showcase tangible outputs from their research and career.

This year, AWARD has redesigned the regional progress forum to promote more interaction, learning and information exchange, through a share fair set-up. The events also provide an opportunity to network with the greater AWARD community, including AWARD Alumnae, institutional partners, donors, and other agricultural research and development actors.

“My expectation for the coming progress monitoring meetings is to share the achievements I have made since the start of my fellowship, lessons learned, and the challenges I have faced and overcome. I also expect to learn from other fellows’ experiences and map out a strategy to continue, with a focus to attain the ultimate goals from my purpose roadmap,” writes AWARD Fellow Jean Rubakuba, a quality manager at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute. Jean will be among participants in the Eastern Africa event in Nairobi, Kenya.

As part of the sharing and learning, AWARD Fellows, assisted by Fellow’s Mentees, will share progress they have made against goals set at the beginning of their AWARD journey in the Purpose Road Map (PRM) by showcasing outputs they have realized in their career and research at the share fair. Winning outputs showcases will be selected and awarded prizes in different categories.

In their role as senior agricultural research and development actors, AWARD Mentors will have the honor of judging fellows’ share fair entries to determine who will take away prizes in various categories. A few of the participating mentors will form part of a panel that will discuss and deliberate on salient agricultural research and development issues at the plenary on the first afternoon of the event.

At the end of the meeting, the 2013 AWARD Fellows, who shall be officially coming to the end of their fellowship, will be awarded graduation certificates by the keynote speaker.

Dates for the specific Regional Progress Fora are listed below: