The weekly research magazine No. 6/2022

Wheat flour has become scarce… Long live cassava!

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and… Professor Yandju (Sciences), mokako swa! 

The Research Week, from April 18 to 24, 2022 (Week 16; 2022), at the University of Kinshasa, was undoubtedly "manioc" in tone; and made it possible to consolidate many ongoing research projects:

• Monday, April 18, 2022, Hotel Memling, In the presence of representatives of mobile phone companies and banking players, a presentation of a research project took place on Financial Inclusion, led by the Professor Tsala of the Faculty of Economics and Management, and his colleagues from UPC, Cameroon, and Ottawa. One of the resolutions of the 2021 ESU General Assembly called for a strong rapprochement between Congolese universities and businesses. The Unikin Management Committee is calling for a strong presence at these types of activities and has initiated the work there, through its Secretary General for Research! ;
• Tuesday, April 19, 2022, Before a major tour of the Faculty of Sciences, an intense working session was held at the General Secretariat for Research, under the chairmanship of the Rector, with a team from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences led by its Dean, Professor Kinkela. Heading towards the finalization of a major project aimed at development of our 408 hectares of land in N'Djili-Brasserie. A continuum between research, production, and full-scale marketing. Let's release the brakes and go for it!

• Tuesday, April 19, 2022, Russian Invasion in Ukraine and… Congolese Cassava! The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not yet finished impacting our daily lives, the daily lives of our people. Among the already visible consequences is the scarcity of wheat flour, of which Ukraine was until now the world's main supplier (50 percent). But this scarcity comes as a godsend and a great opportunity for our researchers, some of whom, like Mrs. Professor Yandju, have been working there for over thirty years! Their expertise is frequently sought internationally, but not really valued here; no one is a prophet at home! No fewer than 11 varieties derived from this cassava, which grow without much difficulty on our generous soil, in the four corners of the country, seem largely sufficient to contribute to our food self-sufficiency. Our visit, this Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in Faculty of Sciences, in the Applied Microbiology laboratory and then in the training and knowledge transfer center, behind the same faculty, left us speechless: the promotion of local products and quality control are practiced there on a daily basis. And we tasted spaghetti, breads, cakes, biscuits, etc. made from cassava (and sometimes 100 percent) please! By the way, even the quail dish (Prof Kambaji), with tomato sauce (vegetable garden, Faculty of Agronomy), etc. were of Unikin origin; really simply Unikin, simply DRC, simply delicious! Let us work to support our researchers, to popularize and promote our products, to produce them, to market them. This is how the University will play its role in providing solutions to the community's problems, while building up a nest egg to support Research.
• Wednesday, April 20, 2022, General Secretariat for Research, Monthly meeting of the VDRSA, around the SGR. Two main points were discussed: The relaunch of faculty reviews and the collection of data related to the performance contract discussed last February, which should allow us to establish the first internal rankings within our university. An electronic form is available to you via the VDRSA;

• Thursday, April 21, 2022, Rectorate and SGR, maintaining intense scientific diplomacy;
• Friday, April 22, 2022, Rectorate, Reception of a delegation from the regional school of Neurosurgery, under the aegis of the African Society of Neurosurgery currently in seminar in Kinshasa. Among them, Professors Deschambenoit (France), Badiane (Senegal), Boukassa (Congo Brazza), Diallo (Mali), Kessely (Chad), Daisy Akerek (Gabon); led by our very active Professor Ntsambi and Dr Ntalaja. A fine example of regional scientific cooperation!;

• Friday, April 22, 2022, The Department of Population Sciences (FASEG), led by Prof. Emima and colleagues, held a open day (room availability?) … at the polytechnic. And insisted, in particular, on the importance of making data and statistics available to everyone! An exhibition was organized on this occasion, in front of the FASEG, which allowed us to browse through some old thesis works, such as those of Professors Lututala (1971), Ngongo (), Emima (2005)…; a real feeling of pride!
• Saturday, April 23, 2022, World Book and Copyright Day, celebrated at the Department of STD, in memory of Mgr Tharcisse Tshibangu Tshishiku, Promoter of the Congolese University Library and Library Science in the DRC. Activity opened by the Dean of the FLSH and rich in colorful presentations, such as those on documentation and archiving (Prof Tshinanga), An inventory of Congolese publishing (Prof Makolo), from Publishing to the search for solutions to society's problems (Prof Ekolo). An exhibition will extend this event next week. "A university without a library is like an army without ammunition" (Prof Mundeke) is enough to justify the special attention that the Management Committee pays to the rehabilitation of this sector. Each faculty must work to have a decent library, digitized and open to the world. Work at the central library continues and should contribute to significantly improving its services.

• Save the date

1. Monday, May 2, 2022, Luc Gillon Promotions Room, Grand Conference by Professor Dr. Mukwege.
2. Have you visited the current Exhibition of "The University of Kinshasa honors these women professors, exhibition of their effigies" on the forecourt of the rectorate. Come along and sign your autograph!

• Reminder
• At least once a day, log on to unikin.ac.cd then on your faculty’s website;
• For your publications, don't forget to GOOD quote " University of Kinshasa » or « University of Kinshasa »;
• Do you now have your researcher ID? Very simple: go to org (preferably use your institutional email).

Proud to be from Unikin, the First!

Done in Kinshasa, Sunday, April 24, 2022

For the Lions Management Committee: Prof JM Kayembe, Rector; Prof E Banza, SGAC; Prof A Tshimpi, SGR; Prof B Lapika, SGADM; Prof Y Duagani, AB.

Prof. Antoine Tshimpi, SGR.