AICAT Cohort VI Briefing Session

On Thursday 9 March 2023, the Office of the Dean of Students and Career Services facilitated a briefing session to kick off the rolling out of the Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training (AICAT) Internship Program at  8-4-4 Lecture Theatre, Upper Kabete Campus.

The Arava International Centre for Agricultural Training (AICAT) is an 11 month Internship Program that takes place in the Arava region, South of Israel which is a desert. Agriculture in the Arava is at the forefront of implementing modern and sophisticated agriculture in Israel, having converted a desert wasteland into a major food basket that not only serves to feed Israel but  the entire world as well. Since the inception of the program in 2016, AICAT has supported 150 students from the University of Nairobi, equipping them with skills and knowledge to come back to Kenya and apply these skills in solving issues of food shortage and security. Many students who have been exposed to the program have demonstrated exceptional skills in establishing startups geared towards solving the Country’s most dire agricultural challenges and even in the creation of employment opportunities through these startups.

The Briefing Session that began at 11:00 am was facilitated by Mr. Johnson Ireri Kinyua- Dean of Students and Naomi Nyaboga - Head of Section Career Services, with members from the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine; Hellen Omwenga - Assistant Dean of Students Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Prof.Moses Nyangito, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Dr.Jonathan Zuma, Chair of Department Agricultural Economics in attendance.

Naomi Nyaboga took the students through an informative presentation detailing the requirements and the step by step processes of preparation and participation in the program. The Office of Career Services shared the experiences of previous students  through video footage to give students an idea of what the AICAT program demands and what the students should expect going into the rigorous program.

The session came to a close with a question and answer session where students from the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary medicine shared their concerns and were provided with much needed clarification from the facilitators.

The AICAT program has annually demonstrated its ability to change the lives of various students through knowledge, skills and the global exposure it creates for students. Above all it has played a key role in assisting countries faced with similar challenges of food security and deploying youth equipped with the vision and skills to transform the food situation in their respective regions.

By Mary Oloo