News Overview

The Collaborative Breeding Leadership Program (CBLP) celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of fellows on 7 October in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, at the 4th African Plant Breeders Association conference. CBLP is a CGIAR-led initiative, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), designed to equip national research institutes mid-career breeders with advanced leadership, management and strategic communication skills to complement

A global research team co-led by the University of Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre (CSC) [https://www.cropsciencecentre.org] is unlocking the potential of Bambara groundnut in a pioneering project to combat food insecurity and climate change. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is a crop with huge potential to address global food and nutrition security challenges. It thrives in poor soils, supports soil health through

In the world of crop improvement, consumer preferences are more than just opinions; they are powerful drivers of breeding innovation. For instance, cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a significant staple food across Africa. Beyond its role as a primary source of calories, cassava’s value addition processes help extend its shelf life, countering the rapid deterioration caused by its naturally high moisture

In a significant step toward advancing agricultural innovation and national food security, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, formalized a new partnership with IITA–CGIAR on 24 November by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The delegation, led by the Deputy Comptroller, Kayode Akano, included P.A. to the Comptroller, Steven Arinde; representative of the Immigration Officers Wives Association (IMMOWA), Temitayo Akinyemi; and

In a significant step toward enhancing Nigeria’s agricultural biosecurity, the IITA–CGIAR Germplasm Health Unit (GHU) hosted the Comptroller General (CG) of Nigeria’s Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, along with other senior NAQS officials, for a strategic workshop held from 27–29 October. The workshop, designed to exchange insights on germplasm movement procedures, phytosanitary standards, and emerging plant health threats, reinforced the longstanding

IITA–CGIAR is at the forefront of cassava and banana seed production in Gabon. The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), organized a two-week phased-in training to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and strengthen the national seed production through the technical assistance to the Projet d’Appui au Programme GRAINE-Phase 1 (PAPG1), under the framework of

IITA–CGIAR participated in the launch of the 2025/2026 Mozambique agricultural campaign on 13 November, marking the beginning of the rainy season. As a strategic partner that has actively contributed to improving agricultural production and productivity in Mozambique, offering innovations in resilient varieties and improved seeds, climate-smart agricultural practices, inoculants, and aflasafe, IITA was invited by the Government to participate in the

IITA–CGIAR is proud to announce the in-person participation of Dr Adewale Awoyemi in the NESST-Smithsonian convening hosted by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) in Washington, DC. Dr Awoyemi is the IITA Forest Center Manager, Conservation Biologist, and NESST Scientist Ambassador at the 2025 Network for Emergent Socio-Scientific Thinking (NESST). The convening was the first since the founding of NESST in