Seven postgraduate students from various departments in the University are beneficiaries of a research grant by the Manufacturing Research Chair on Coconut Value Addition.
The students comprising of three ladies and four gentlemen presented their concept papers which will be useful in designing and developing machinery and other equipment for research on coconut value addition, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at the iPIC building.
They presented their various research in the areas of machinery, beauty and cosmetics, construction, food and beverage, Biomass and Energy among other areas.
With most machinery currently used in the coconut industry being imported, the project aims to enhance Kenya’s competitiveness in the manufacturing of value-added coconut products by supporting postgraduate students to carry out research in developing solutions for identified problems and challenges in the coconut value chain.
Speaking during the meeting, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Prof. Bernard Ikua who is also the Programme Chair said the programme, a multi-institutional project involving six Universities is critical in strengthening research through a collaborative effort in acquiring key research equipment and training students in the coconut value chain.
“These Masters and PhD students’ research will be significant in our quest in finding viable and sustainable solutions to bottlenecks in the coconut value chain,” Prof. Ikua asserted.
The 5-year project is supported by the International Development Research Centre (ICDRC) of Canada, through the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI).
The project is being implemented by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in partnership with other stakeholders in a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional arrangement that brings together experts and researchers from JKUAT, Multi-media University, Moi University, the Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate (NOCD), Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), among others.
Source: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology