News Overview

As part of efforts to build strategic partnerships that will advance Togo’s agricultural transformation agenda, IITA-CGIAR recently welcomed a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture of Togo, the Institut Togolais de Recherche Agricole (ITRA), and the Agence de Transformation Agricole (ATA) to the institute’s headquarters in Ibadan. The visit focused on exploring concrete opportunities to scale up innovation, enhance sustainability,

Since 2015, Nigeria’s public cassava breeding program, led by IITA in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has focused on developing new cassava varieties to cater to the diverse needs of cassava users across the value chain. A key aspect of this initiative has been identifying gender-specific traits preferences, ensuring that breeding decisions optimally align with the unique priorities of

In its continued commitment to conserving Nigeria’s threatened and endangered native trees, the IITA Forest Center recently embarked on another strategic round of seed collection. This activity, part of the Center’s conservation mission, focused on enriching the live gene bank at its Tree Heritage Park, popularly known as The Noah’s Ark. It also aimed to expand the number of propagation protocols in the Manual

The ENABLE TAAT initiative is committed to equipping Kenyan youth with the tools and opportunities needed to launch and grow successful agribusinesses. ENABLE TAAT has created pathways for youth who have completed agribusiness training but lack the capital to start their ventures by linking young agripreneurs with key organizations in Makueni County and beyond. The World Food Program (WFP) has been one of the

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

To strengthen cassava seed systems in Guinea, the TAAT Cassava Compact completed a two-day training workshop in Conakry from 2 to 3 June 2025. The training brought together 14 participants—including two women—from the Guinean Institute of Agronomic Research (IRAG). During the workshop, participants deepened their expertise in the identification, management, and production of healthy cassava planting materials. The workshop focused on

Science often throws us a curveball, and it came from cassava this time. Researchers have uncovered a massive, previously unknown chunk of DNA in a farmer-preferred cassava landrace, shedding new light on the crop’s genetic complexity. While digging into the genome of TMEB117, researchers stumbled upon a previously uncharted 9.7 Mb chunk of DNA sitting quietly on chromosome 12. This

From June 3 to 6, 2025, Dr Simeon Ehui, IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, visited the IITA Station in Cotonou, Benin. The visit provided a platform to interact with staff, assess ongoing research innovations, and explore opportunities to further strengthen IITA’s agricultural research efforts and partnerships in the Republic of Benin. DG Ehui, accompanied by Lahcen Ennahli, Special Advisor to