The President of Sasakawa Africa Association (SSA), Makoto Kitanaka, accompanied by Sasakawa Nigeria Country Director Dr Godwin Atser, Sasakawa Ethiopia Country Director Fentahun Mengistu, and Director for Strategic Partnerships Melkizedek Oluoch, visited IITA-CGIAR on 8-10 November to broker new partnership opportunities and synergies to develop African agriculture. IITA was particularly proud to receive these delegates since both Atser and Oluoch are IITA alumni who have progressed in their careers and returned to establish a partnership with the Institute.
The team familiarized with IITA technologies, seeds and seed systems, research activities, and genetic innovations. They toured the Germplasm Health, Virology and Diagnostics Laboratory (GHVDL), Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory, Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics/Cassava Breeding, Processing, Utilization and Post Harvest Engineering, Genetic Resource Center, Bioscience, Business Incubation Platform, Aflasafe, and the Youth in Agribusiness units to see various IITA innovations geared towards transforming Africa’s food systems.