Strengthening research capacity in São Tomé: IITA hosts CIAT-STP team for one-month intensive training

In a significant step toward enhancing agricultural research and food security in São Tomé and Príncipe, IITA–CGIAR recently hosted four staff members from the National Research Institute of São Tomé and Príncipe (CIAT-STP) for a comprehensive one-month training program. The initiative, held at IITA headquarters in Ibadan, was part of the ongoing collaboration with the COMPRAN project formalized in August 2024, which aims to enhance crop improvement and technical research capacity in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The training was designed to equip participants with practical skills in molecular characterization, tissue culture, genebank operations, and Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology. It also supported the characterization of plant genetic resources collected during a germplasm mission to São Tomé in February and introduced digital tools for field trial design, data collection, and analysis.

At IITA’s Bioscience Center, participants received hands-on training in essential molecular biology techniques such as DNA extraction, PCR-based diagnostics, and marker analysis to aid the molecular profiling of local germplasm.

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