Egerton University, through the TAGDev 2.0 program, today held a supervisors’ meeting at Nuru Palace in Nakuru County bringing together academic supervisors guiding Cohort 1 master’s students under the Masters in Agri-Enterprise Development and Environmental Science programs. The meeting aimed to realign research efforts with the program’s priority value chains; root and tuber crops and dairy value chains, while emphasizing the critical role of supervisors in ensuring that students complete their studies within the designated two-year timeframe.
Led by Prof. Nancy Mungai, the TAGDev 2.0 Program Coordinator, the sessions highlighted the importance of early and consistent academic mentorship in graduate research. Drawing from lessons learned in the first phase of the program (TAGDev 1.0), Prof. Mungai emphasized that supervision must be proactive, deliberate, and aligned with real-world development issues. TAGDev 2.0, currently in its second year of implementation, is supporting a growing number of graduate students conducting research across focus counties including Nakuru, Kilifi, Nyandarua, Embu, Nyeri and selected counties suitable for commercial production of cassava.
The Dean faculty of Environment and Resources Development, Dr. Bernard K. Kirui appreciated the role of TAGDev in supporting MSc Environmental Science students to pursue environmental issues within the focus value chains. He said “agriculture operates within an environment and therefore I am grateful to the TAGDev Program for the support they offer to environmental science students”.
Dr. Justus Ombati, the Deputy Director, Board of Postgraduate Studies gave a presentation emphasizing ethical, efficient, and effective supervision. He called on supervisors to foster open communication, set clear timelines for feedback, and support students in adhering to research ethics. He also highlighted the importance of integrating students’ work into real-world impacts and encouraged regular supervisor-student meetings.
The TAGDev Program Associate Program Officer, Ms. Virginia Njuguna, presented a structured roadmap to support timely completion of MSc programs. The roadmap outlines clear milestones for each phase; proposal development, fieldwork/data collection, thesis writing, publications, and defense, within the two-year period. This will be possible through regular supervisor-student meetings, timely feedback, and integration of digital tools like Zoom to enhance communication creating a more coordinated, efficient supervision process that ensure academic success and impactful research outcomes.
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the agreement on the need to balance coursework
with research timelines. It was noted that the timing for proposal defense just around the final examinations for second semester may place undue pressure on the students. Supervisors recommended modest adjustments to departmental proposal defense timelines to one month after examinations to give students the mental space to focus on coursework. This student-centered approach is expected to foster better academic performance and more impactful research outcomes.
As TAGDev 2.0 continues to empower a new generation of agricultural researchers and innovators, this meeting reaffirmed that a collaborative, responsive, and impact-driven supervision model is key to producing graduates ready to lead transformation in Africa’s agri-food systems.
Written By:
Ian Kamau.
Communication Intern, TAGDev 2.0 Program, Egerton University
