Dr Aldo Stroebel, Head of the International Office and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development of the University of the Free State (UFS), has recently been appointed by the European Union (EU) as one of four international non-EU rural development experts. Dr Stroebel will be conducting a comprehensive economic, social and development impact assessment of the EU’s rural development programme, LeaderPlus. His responsibility includes a focus on France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Dr Stroebel is the co-ordinator of the Jobs for Growth Training Programme with the Mangaung University of the Free State Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP), within the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA). Dr Percy Barnevick, one of President Thabo Mbeki’s business advisors and member of the President’s International Investment Council, recently commended the contributions of the UFS and MUCPP to ASGISA.
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