One of the Society’s cross-cutting Dairy for Development initiatives is the creation of an ‘African Jersey Forum’. This is a regional network, in line with similar existing fora in other regions (such as the European Jersey Forum), which provides a space for interested parties to share knowledge, learn and network with other regional stakeholders with an interest in the Jersey breed and dairy more generally. The African Jersey Forum concept was formally launched in June 2019 at the Regional Dairy Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda.

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Late 2021 saw the launch of the African Jersey Forum website. The website promotes research, education and coordination between individuals and organisations interested in the enhancement of the Jersey breed, both within Africa and the tropics in general. Target audiences of the forum include researchers, politicians and policy-makers, farmers and agribusiness representatives, and non-governmental organisations. The website is a platform for sharing a variety of content including scientific articles and reports, news and insights related to the dairy industry including human interest stories and interviews, and educational materials in a variety of formats.

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To coincide with launch of the website, the African Jersey Forum held its first conference in November 2021. Originally intended to be an in-person event, continued disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced a move to a virtual event. Nearly 1,000 online attendances across the world were recorded for the two-day event. Viewers in at least 35 countries across the world watched the Conference virtually, whilst a small invited audience in both Jersey and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia gathered to form a live audience. Slides and video footage from the two-days of the conference can be accessed here.

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In June 2023, the African Jersey Forum successfully hosted its first in-person conference in Blantyre, Malawi. Visitors to Malawi enjoyed two days of farm tours, alongside a day’s Conference at the Protea Hotel. The Conference was also streamed online around the globe. Resources from the event can be accessed here.

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For further news and updates, including information on the next African Jersey Forum Conference, please monitor the AJF website and social media channels:

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Facebook - African Jersey Forum

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LinkedIn - African Jersey Forum​