A beneficiary of the ENABLE-TAAT capacity development exercise has affirmed that beyond technical training for youth, mentorship and training in soft skills and business development are valuable to provide a soft landing for new enterprises. In 2019, Aderemi Adekunle Oke participated in an aquaculture training provided by the program compact because of the ample opportunities offered. Before that time, he
Malnutrition in young children and pregnant women is known to have adverse consequences on their survival and long-term well-being. It also has far-reaching effects on human capital, economic productivity, and national development; changes in diet can help improve mental health, prevent or control many health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and certain risk factors for cancer and heart diseases. The Federal
IITA-Burundi officially unveiled Aflasafe by presenting two Aflasafe products—Aflasafe BU01, a country-specific product, and Aflasafe KE01, the regional product—for field testing in Burundi. The Institute presented the products to stakeholders at the IITA-Burundi office in April. The IITA Country Representative, Emmanuel Njukwe, urged national and development partners to adopt practices that minimize aflatoxin contamination, particularly in maize and groundnut. Subject matter
Yam is the “king of crops” in West Africa and one of the most important energy sources for many African countries. However, cultivating and preparing it is tedious for farmers because yam is planted in mounds (30 to 50 cm high and 1 or 2 m apart). The advantage of the mound system in yam production includes loose soil conditions
The International Association of Research Scholars and Fellows (IARSAF) at IITA went on a working visit to selected national research institutes (NRIs) in Nigeria on 8-10 June. The educative tour sought to identify challenges, opportunities, and possible innovative solutions to transfer knowledge for national development. The tour also served as an opportunity to meet IITA alumni working in such institutions and get
On 11 June, IITA officially launched the Support to Women Entrepreneurship in the Agrifood Sector in Nigeria (SWEAN) project at its headquarters in Ibadan with the Ambassador of France and the Oyo State Governor. The project was awarded to Nigeria by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Embassy of France in Nigeria) through IITA, the implementing partner. The project seeks
IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga has highlighted the need for state governments in Nigeria to prioritize investment in agriculture to develop and revitalize state economies. He said this in a presentation at the recent PDP Governors’ Forum, which took place in Ibadan, Oyo State. Speaking to the 12 Governors in attendance, DG Sanginga highlighted the recent partnership between Oyo State
Bernard Yada is a sweetpotato breeder with Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). In this interview, he speaks to Vivian Atakos, a communications specialist from the International Potato Center (CIP), to discuss the progress his team has made within the Sweetpotato Genetic Advances for Innovative SeedSystems (SweetGAINS) project. (This is an updated interview from their first discussion in in July 2020) Q: When we last spoke, you talked about the contributions of sweetpotatoes to Uganda’s agri-food systems, the problems you are trying to solve through breeding, and some