For a country with a population of over 19 million, the existing gaps in Zambia’s food system from production to consumption, especially in knowledge and output records, have a considerable effect on the agricultural value chain. Hence, the need to incorporate a variety of crops such as cowpea, a vital legume crop for Zambia, within the food system to complement
CGIAR Global Director for Innovative Finance and Resource Mobilization, Andre Zandstra, visited the IITA Ibadan campus on 26 July. His visit was to discuss funding opportunities with IITA management staff and other staff affiliated with innovative finance and resource mobilization in the Institute. In a meeting with the IITA Senior Management team, Zandstra mentioned that this trip was his first to IITA and Nigeria.
As part of efforts to create profitable partnerships and support beneficiaries of the YEASA project in Nigeria, the YEASA project consortium, Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), IITA, and AfricaRice, organized a workshop for national and local stakeholders on the roadmap for public and private youth investment in the agricultural sector. YEASA project beneficiaries, government institutions, NGOs, and regulatory institutions attended the meeting. The workshop showcased agribusiness start-ups that
The NextGen Cassava Breeding project, the IITA Cassava Breeding Unit, and Sahel Consulting organized a triadic comparison of technologies (Tricot) workshop with the Nigerian variety release committee recently. Sahel Consulting works with the Nigerian Variety Release Committee, through the Collaborative Seed Programme (CSP), to innovate the procedures and approaches used to enable variety release. The workshop proposed employing Tricot as an alternative and better way
With a deep sense of loss, IITA announces the demise of the former Director of Cereal Improvement Program from 1975 to 1980, Ivan William Buddenhagen. He died at his Davis home in the USA on Saturday, 9 July 2022. Ivan Buddenhagen led the international research program on rice and maize, producing varieties and hybrids widely grown across Africa. In 1986, the Institute
Research has shown that many university students in the science field across Africa lack practical experience using basic molecular biology techniques. This deficiency has limited their knowledge and challenges their future careers as scientists. The IITA–CGIAR Bioscience Center has constituted an annual workshop for hands-on training on basic molecular biology techniques to prepare students for a better science career. The week-long training,
The Support to Women Entrepreneurs in the Agrifood Sector in Nigeria (SWEAN) held its official project close-out ceremony on 19 June at IITA headquarters in Ibadan. IITA–CGIAR and partners implemented the two-year project in two states—Oyo and Kaduna—to empower women in agriculture. The ceremony, moderated by SWEAN Project Coordinator Zainatou Soré, started with a documentary showcasing community training carried out in Zaria, Kaduna
On 22 July, IITA–CGIAR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the first Waste Museum in Africa, situated in Ibadan, in line with IITA’s mandate to conserve natural resources. The partnership will harness various wastes in a circular economy and drive advocacy and outreach programs on waste management and environmental sustainability. The Creative Director of the Waste Museum, Jumoke Olowookere, and her