News Overview

As part of efforts to support Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), IITA and AfricaRice, under the  International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded Zero Hunger project, conducted training for extension agents in Benue, Ebonyi, and Ogun states in August and September 2021. The training was in partnership with the IFAD-funded Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in the three states on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and

On 17 September, the House Committee on Agriculture, Colleges and Institutions of the Nigerian National Assembly visited IITA headquarters. The visit was to initiate partnership around fund coordination and cooperation for a new agenda for good agricultural policies in Nigeria. During the event moderated by Kenton Dashiell, Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General, welcomed and introduced IITA’s

The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) has appointed IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga as its new chairman following the announced retirement of current chairman Namanga Ngongi. AFAP has been under the leadership of its founding chairman, Ngongi, since its inception in 2012. AFAP provides ingenious solutions to public and private enterprises through investments in agricultural inputs, agribusiness value chains, market-driven business solutions, and

IITA partners with other CGIAR centers, national research centers, private institutions, and governments to promote agricultural activities that will improve livelihoods and create employment opportunities in Africa. IITA initiates partnerships and is also open to suggested partnerships, and establishes formal collaborative agreements where possible. IITA welcomed Ambassador Rabiu Dagari, Director General, Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), who visited on

The International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC) held the 14th edition of its symposium on 20-24 September. Zambia was the host country. The virtual symposium assembled professionals of root and tuber crops to reflect on the progress made over the years in advancing root and tuber crops, despite challenges faced and plan on jointly fighting hunger and poverty. IITA Digital Extension &

On 24 September, Releaf—a team of youth—visited IITA headquarters. Releaf is led by Ikenna Nzewi, operating the technology value chains of crops, including cassava, oil palm, soybean, maize, and cashew. The visit was to request support and explore possible areas of partnership with the Institute for agricultural sustainability on oil palm production. The organization started in 2017 as an agricultural technology company

Despite the introduction of several intervention programs to reduce or eradicate youth unemployment, creating jobs to reduce unemployment has been a major and trending issue across most developing and less developed countries in the world. However, the increasing unemployment rate in Nigeria among the youth within the age bracket of 25–35 remains a challenge to social and economic stability. This

The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program has won the 2021 Stevie Award for a 5-minute documentary showcasing its achievements. The video, produced for the 2021 High-level Dialogue on Feeding Africa, won the best “video documentary” in the competition. The 2021 International Business Awards, the world’s only all-encompassing business awards competition, drew more than 3,700 nominations from 65 nations. More than a dozen