IITA welcomes Dr Simeon Ehui, new Director General and CGIAR Director for Africa

IITA warmly welcomes our new Director General, Dr Simeon Ehui, who is also the CGIAR Director for Africa, to IITA headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria.Dr Ehui took up the posts on 1 August. IITA Board of Trustees and CGIAR had appointed Dr Ehui to the new posts in January 2023. In these roles, Dr Ehui “will build on IITA and CGIAR’s proven track record of impact, working with teams and partners to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resources across Africa.”

Dr Ehui is a national of Côte d’Ivoire and the United States and brings over 30 years of experience in agriculture and sustainable development to the role. He joined IITA from the World Bank, where he was Regional Director for Sustainable Development, providing vision, coherence, and focus for sustainable development in West and Central Africa.

Dr Ehui takes over the role from Dr Nteranya Sanginga, who retired in March 2023 after 11 years of outstanding leadership. Since March, IITA’s Deputy Director General and Director for Research for Development (R4D), Dr Bernard Vanlauwe, had been serving as Interim Director General.