The Center for Rural Development (SLE) hosted a hybrid networking event with the African Green Store Network (AGSN) in Berlin. This event was part of the North-South global exchanges, with delegates from eight institutions representing AGSN, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The hybrid event took place at the Center for Rural Development (SLE) in Berlin on January 22, 2025, from 10:30 to 13:30 (CET and GMT+1).
Event Focus:
The hybrid networking event centered around the theme "Green Skills for Tomorrow: Agricultural Innovation in Vocational Training across Borders.
Attendees:
AGSN stakeholders, representatives from vocational schools in the agricultural and horticultural sectors, as well as partners and potential partners from Germany, attended the event in person at SLE and online.
Key Activities:
Welcome Speech: Delivered by Margitta Minah, Deputy Director and Head of the SLE Postgraduate Study Programme.
Presentations: Tayo Oni (General Secretary) and Ambani Roseline (Finance Manager) presented AGSN's objectives, achievements, and future perspectives.
Panel Session: Moderated by Wirsiy Yusifu, with panelists including Sayouba Djiela J.P., Ambani Roseline, Shei Williams, and Peter Popoola. Topics discussed included promoting bio-economy innovation and enhancing knowledge sharing through digital platforms and policies supporting sustainable practices.
Key Activities:
Welcome Speech: Margitta Minah, Deputy Director and Head of the SLE Postgraduate Study Programme at Humboldt-Universitat Zu Berlin, delivered the welcome speech. Other notable attendees included Sussanne Beurton (SLE), Guillaume Imbert (International Advisor, GIZ GmbH), Enrique Fernández Flores (Research Advisor, SLE), and Lai Weltz (Project Manager/Team Lead, JIRP), who moderated the event.
Sessions and Panels: The hybrid session, attended by both in-person and online participants, featured presentations and panel discussions. Contacts and potential future collaborators established during the GFFA innovation forum had the opportunity to present the network, its objectives, achievements, potential, and future perspectives.
During engagement with the panelist Network Presentation: The event's main activities began with a presentation about the network by Tayo Oni (General Secretary) and Ambani Roseline (Finance Manager).
Panel Discussion: Moderated by Wirsiy Yusifu, the panel included Sayouba Djiela J.P. (Network President and Director of Centre Polyvalent de Formation, Mbouo), Ambani Roseline (Finance Manager and Researcher at Bukura College, Kenya), Shei Williams (Deputy Director and Trainer at the Regional College of Agriculture, Bambili, Cameroon), and Peter Popoola (Deputy Director at the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, ARMTI).
Discussion Topics:
- Promoting bio-economy innovation through South-South exchange.
- The role of digital platforms in enhancing knowledge sharing.
- Policies supporting sustainable bio-economy practices in African training centers.
- Collaboration among centers, government, and other stakeholders in promoting effective sustainable farming practices.
- Improving communication and the scale of adoption across the region through collaboration and community of practice.
This hybrid networking event facilitated valuable interactions and collaborations among AGSN members, vocational schools, and stakeholders, fostering future partnerships and advancements in agricultural innovation.
Prior to the hybrid event, a network meeting was held on January 21, 2025. During this pre-hybrid event meeting, network members held a series of meetings highlighted as follows:
Reviewed insights from the GFFA innovation stand presentations and leveraged the networking sessions and contacts to strengthen partnerships. Reviews and group activities were conducted to consolidate key takeaways from the GFFA 2025 event.
Review session of learnings and observations from GFFA 2025 Innovation stand 
Presentation of major takeaways and lessons from GFFA 2025 Innovation stand of AGSN Preparatory discussions were held to review the topics of the scheduled hybrid event. Panelists and other team members had a discussion session on the topic of the hybrid event.
A hybrid preparatory and review meeting was held with the host team for the upcoming 2025 AGSN conference in Tunisia. The meeting focused on discussing and planning the conference schedule, which will take place from April 27 to May 5 in Thibar, Tunisia. For more details on the conference, visit the AGSN 2025 conference page (https://www.africa-green-network.org/agsn-dynamic-conference/agsn-2025-conference).
During the hybrid conference planning meeting
Online engagement with host team in Tunisia and other conference planning committee members online
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