DG Ehui commends IITA Benin staff, visits innovations and conservation efforts

From June 3 to 6, 2025, Dr Simeon Ehui, IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, visited the IITA Station in Cotonou, Benin. The visit provided a platform to interact with staff, assess ongoing research innovations, and explore opportunities to further strengthen IITA’s agricultural research efforts and partnerships in the Republic of Benin.

DG Ehui, accompanied by Lahcen Ennahli, Special Advisor to the DG, Toyin Oke, Manager, Resource Mobilization, Protocol and External Liaison (RMPEL), and Sukurate Suleman, Executive Assistant to the DG, toured the Arthropod Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center—the largest insect and mite reference collection in West Africa.

With over 385,000 insect specimens and 30,000 mite slides, the unit is vital in identifying invasive species and supporting the region’s biodiversity efforts. The DG lauded the team’s work and stressed the importance of increasing the visibility of this “hidden jewel” through enhanced communication and completing the DNA fingerprinting of more than 6,000 identified arthropod species.

It is currently estimated that 40-50% of the sub-region’s known arthropod biodiversity is preserved in this collection. IITA’s effort in this area has been instrumental in the interception of major invasive alien species, such as the papaya mealybug and the fall armyworm. It continues to provide an efficient arthropod identification service in West Africa.

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