AUST Deepens Research Ties With Belgian Embassy In Abuja

The African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, further strengthened its international research collaborations following its participation at the Belgian Ambassador’s Reception and stakeholders engagement held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the residence of the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Maitama, Abuja.

Dr. Anthony Anyakora, Head of the AUST Consultancy Services Unit (ACSU), joined diplomatic officials, researchers, and institutional partners for the reception organised in honour of the UP-RISE consortium’s visit and its 2026 General Assembly hosted in Nigeria.

The engagement also served as a strategic follow-up to the recent visit of Belgian Embassy officials to AUST, reinforcing ongoing bilateral engagements.

The reception focused on the UP-RISE project—an EU–AU partnership dedicated to building resilient, inclusive, and safe food systems across Africa. The initiative brings together 13 international partners, including Ghent University and Federal University of Technology, Minna, to address food safety challenges, particularly mycotoxin contamination, through research-driven and sustainable solutions.

A key highlight of the engagement was a strategic discussion between Dr. Anyakora and the two professors coordinating the UP-RISE project in Africa — Sarah De Saeger and Siska Croubels of Ghent University, Belgium.

The discussions explored the potential establishment of an AUST Research Hub within the UP-RISE framework, aimed at integrating AUST’s ISSE (NASRDA) geospatial infrastructure into the consortium’s ongoing food security initiatives.

The proposed collaboration seeks to leverage real-time environmental monitoring systems and integrate geospatial data with the UP-RISE microbial biobank to generate predictive spatial maps for food safety risk assessment. This technology-driven approach is expected to enhance early detection systems and improve evidence-based interventions across agricultural value chains.

In addition, Dr. Anyakora engaged in discussions with a representative of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria on positioning AUST as a leading research and manufacturing institution for agricultural solutions. Conversations centred on the design and manufacture of collapsible crates for perishable produce, as well as strategies to enhance value chain efficiency and reduce post-harvest losses.

The University’s participation at the high-level reception underscores AUST’s growing recognition as a valued expert in agriculture and food security and reaffirms its commitment to advancing research excellence, innovation, and strategic global partnerships that address critical development challenges across Africa.