The impact of plant pathogens on food security in the tropics, especially in the Eastern African region, is devastating. Increasing mean temperatures due to climate change will continue to enhance the prevalence of pathogens and the diseases they cause. Since partner HEIs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda operate at the source of many African pathogens, modernization of higher education in the fields of Plant Pathology and Virology is urgently needed. Great progress has been made in disease detection, identification, and management. Novel technologies have emerged on multiple fronts, including high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, wet lab detection, and translation of these to field conditions. Furthermore, promising developments in image-based technologies provide fast, non-destructive analysis, and machine learning approaches facilitate accessibility of these technologies to the level of mobile apps. Skills in pathogen detection and management will foster crop productivity and nutritional value, e.g. Hidden Hunger, while preserving natural resources and ecosystem services. Introducing digital technologies offers a sustainable way for enhanced disease detection and crop nutritional value management. Employing these developments, this project will modernize existing Plant Pathology study programs at partner HEIs by promoting uptake of image-based digital technologies for detection and identification of plant pathogens and disease diagnosis, coupled with cloud-assisted Artificial Intelligence. The digitization is relevant to the whole chain, from laboratories to fields, making the digital transformation in plant pathology comprehensive and inclusive. In addition to novel technologies, University Pedagogy methods will be introduced to facilitate learning. Among the partner countries, 300 students will benefit from capacity building, and 60 teachers will receive training in pedagogy and soft skills. Ultimately, the East African HEI network will introduce three modernized Regional Digital Plant Pathology and Hidden Hunger Study Modules: 1) University Pedagogy, 2) Imaging Technologies, and 3) Plant Pathology and Hidden Hunger, integrated into existing curricula for student credits.