Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM-K) and African Asian Rural Development Organisation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and collaborate in research, consultancy, technical and knowledge support in promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development practices in the 33 member-AARDO, which includes 31 countries in the Asian-African region.
The agreement was signed in New Delhi by IIM-K Director Debashis Chatterjee and AARDO Secretary-General Manoj Nardeosingh, according to a press release.
Dr. Nardeosingh, speaking about the game-changing collaboration, said the agreement would now bring regular interaction between officials of member countries and learned faculty members of IIM-K through various technical programmes in addressing issues and challenges faced in AARDO's rural areas.
According to him, the AARDO would greatly benefit from advanced scientific management methodologies and tools in order to improve life in rural areas.
Prof. Chatterjee expressed his delight at IIM-growing K's global footprint and international collaborations, saying that the joining of these two institutions had the tremendous potential to make a difference in the lives of billions of people from two continents, Africa and Asia, who are linked by similar legacies and aspire to a bright future.
Because both organizations have a shared interest in agriculture and sustainable rural development in AARDO member countries, the MoU calls for them to work together to achieve common goals, particularly in addressing challenges in agriculture and sustainable rural development, through research, and publication, consulting, and advisory services.
In addition, new knowledge and its sharing, innovative solutions, interventions, and capacity enhancement will be emphasized in order to benefit and strengthen rural communities in these countries.
Both IIM-K and AARDO will work to organize international, regional, and on-the-spot or in-country training programmes, workshops, and seminars to help member countries strengthen their institutional capacity.
It will also conduct research, jointly implement development projects, exchange experts and specialists, establish exchange programmes with universities and institutes in member countries, and provide technical assistance in project formulation and consultancy to ensure that the coming together of developing countries in the Asian-African region is a success.
