On March 20, 2018 Prof. Maulid Walad Mwatawala from the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture of Sokoine University of Agriculture delivered a powerful professorial inaugural lecture on Facilitating International Agricultural Trade through Science: The Case of Tephritid Flies.

His lecture highlighted key research findings on fruit flies based on studies conducted at SUA in collaboration with other partners. The information that was generated by years of research is necessary to facilitate fruits trade while minimising the risks of the spread of fruit flies. The lecture showed further that this information is shared through various means including an international training on taxonomy and ecology of fruit flies. 

Watch and Read the entire lecture presentation ...

About the author

Prof. Maulid Walad Mwatawala was born on 1st November 1970, in Mbeya Municipality. He received secondary education from Sangu and Mazengo Secondary schools of Mbeya and Dodoma regions respectively. He later obtained Bachelor of Science (1995), Master of Science in Agriculture (1998) and PhD (2008) all from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). He also graduated in Bachelor of Laws (LLB, Hons.) from Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in 2013 and Master of Law in Information Technology and Telecommunication (LLM IT&T) which is jointly offered by OUT and the United Kingdom Telecommunications Academy (UKTA) in 2015. He started his professional career at SUA in December 2000 as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture (DCSH). He then rose to the ranks of Lecturer (2005), Senior lecturer (2008), Associate Professor (2011) and finally Professor (2017).

He teaches courses in Applied Entomology, Organic Farming and (Agricultural) Legislations, Reduction of Post-Harvest Losses and Wastages through Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). Prof. Mwatawala is a member of the Governing Council of the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI); a member of Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB) of the Tanzania Food and Drugs Agency (TFDA); Chairman of the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Sub - committee (PQPS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. He is also a Vice Chairman of the Tanzania Entomological Association (TEA). Prof. Mwatawala served as Editor in Chief of Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences (TAJAS), between 2012 and 2016.

His current research focuses    on ecology and management of fruit flies. He is currently the Head of the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture DCSH, a position he has held since August 2017. He was involved in projects on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for fruit flies in Tanzania; Increasing value of African mango and cashew (funded by DANIDA, Resolution of cryptic species complexes of tephritid pests to overcome constraints to SIT application; enhanced fruits preservation using nano technology.

Prof Mwatawala has published 64 articles in peer reviewed journals, one book chapter and numerous conference papers and extension materials. He received a number of awards including the Best Student Award by the Ecological Society for East Africa (ESEA) in 2008.