News Overview

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

Soil is the basis of human existence. After decades of neglect, deforestation, and a lack of reliable data eroding this natural foundation, a bold new initiative launched in Monrovia is set to restore hope, rebuild knowledge, and redefine how Liberia nurtures its soils and land resources. IITA–CGIAR, in partnership with the European Union (EU), International partners, and the Government of

The International Association of Research Scholars and Fellows (IARSAF) held its 28th annual symposium at the IITA–CGIAR headquarters in Ibadan from 28 to 31 October. The four-day event explored how science and systems thinking can serve as powerful levers for building climate resilience and transforming nutrition across Africa’s food systems. Through engaging discussions and mentorship sessions, participants were challenged to rethink their

With one successful year down, the Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE) project team convened in Nairobi for its annual review meeting. The gathering brought together colleagues from IITA–CGIAR and project partners from Pairwise, USA, to assess the progress made and chart the path forward. Dr Nic Bate, Senior Program Officer from the Gates Foundation, also joined in to listen to

In Mozambique, 37% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to government data (2023). The northernmost provinces of the country present a more critical situation, with between 44 and 47% of children under 5 years of age suffering from chronic malnutrition, despite having high agricultural production nationwide. Among the main causes of this challenge are a lack of

IITA–CGIAR hosted another enlightening edition of its monthly Knowledge Café seminar series, featuring a captivating presentation by Molecular Breeder, Agre Paterne. The hybrid seminar, held on 23 October, focused on “Cutting-edge genomic and bioinformatic applications in yam breeding: Current advances.” Moderated by Cassava Breeding Program Lead, Ismail Rabbi, the session spotlighted the remarkable progress achieved in yam breeding through the application of advanced