IITA and Ondo State to partner on advancing agricultural agenda

On 6 May, the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) on Agriculture and Agribusiness to the Ondo State Governor, Honorable Rotimi Akinsola, led a delegation to the IITA–CGIAR headquarters in Ibadan. The visit aimed to explore collaborative opportunities that would enhance Ondo State’s agricultural sector by leveraging IITA’s research-driven innovations and mandate crops.

The IITA team, led by the Director for the West Africa Hub and Head of the Genetic Resources Centre (GRC), Professor Michael Abberton, welcomed the Ondo State delegation while outlining some of IITA’s scaling efforts in Nigeria. Speaking on IITA’s decentralization strategy across sub-Saharan Africa, Prof Abberton highlighted the institute’s response to challenges faced by smallholder farmers, focusing on climate-smart agriculture and the integration of ICT technologies. Adding that these innovations are scaled through strategic partnerships with national agricultural systems and the private sector.

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