PROFILE

A PhD at last!

Rajab Mtumwa Rutengwe, AJFAND reviewer and strong supporter right from its inception, was born in Tanzania. He received the international postgraduate diploma (Food and Nutrition Security in Children and Women) from the Wageningen Agriculture University, the Netherlands (1997), a graduate community nutritionist's diploma (Food Production and Human Nutrition) from the Uyole Agriculture Centre, Tanzania (1989), international certificate in Project Formulation and Management from the University of Dar es Salaam (1999), international certificate in Food Security and Nutrition Data Technical Policy Analysis from the University of Malawi (1996), international certificate in Promotion of Rural Development in Tropic and Sub-tropics from the Centre of Rural Development (DSE), Germany (1996) and international certificate in Food and Nutrition Programme Management from the Wageningen Agriculture University, the Netherlands (1993). Back home he serves as community nutritionist cum nutrition planner in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, head office Dar es Salaam. He is also a Deputy Secretary General of the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Association (FONATA), member of the National Food Security Consultative Group (NFSCG), senior member of the Tanzania Home Economics Association (TAHEA) and executive member of the national World Food Day organising committee. He has been involved in a number of community-based development projects in his country and in the East, Central and Southern Africa region. He has an extensive knowledge and experience in the fields of income generating activities, public health nutrition, household food security, vulnerability assessment and agricultural extension. His competency lies in project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, training, and research. He has participated in writing several action-oriented reports and published some scientific papers. Mr Rutengwe started to pursue masters degree on 22 April 2001 immediately after his arrival. Of course planning of the research project and communication begun in the year 2000. His promoters with consultation with other experts upgraded him to a doctoral degree based on his exceptional scholarly aptitude, quality of his work, hard work and relevance of the research. In his thesis, "Intake of Red Palm Oil to address both Under- and Overnutrition in Developing Countries" was examining the influence of intake of red palm oil on a variety of metabolic variables in mild diet-induced hyperlipidaemic subjects in the Lipid Clinic, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PUCHE), South Africa. He tries to answer the questions whether red palm oil can be used to address both under- and overnutrition in developing countries. In his conclusion, based on the literature survey, a significant contribution is that, it is true that intake of red palm oil is sustainable and natural multiple nutrient oil that can be used to address undernutrition particularly amongst children, pregnant and lactating women in developing countries. The question of the empirical study, whether red palm oil can be used to address hyperlipidaemia has not been answered. Because adequate data is not available regarding the mechanisms of the effect of red palm oil on serum lipids in hyperlipidaemic subjects, recommendations for further research to determine the possible mechanisms of how red palm oil may influence these metabolic variables in hyperlipidaemic subjects is made. As this was the first such study in South Africa and probably in Africa, his thesis enriches our knowledge of potential benefits of red palm oil in addressing both under- and overnutrition in developing countries. After graduation, he becomes a postdoctoral fellow and participates actively in research and policy analysis for the development of sub-Saharan Africa. His research interests include public health nutrition, household food security and sustainable development.

Promoters: Prof. Wilna Oldewage-Theron (The Vaal Triangle Technikon). Prof. HH Vorster (Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education)