After only three months of implementing the Agenda for the Transformation of Agriculture in the Democratic Republic of Congo (ATA-DRC), the program has registered multiple successes, giving the government and people of the country much to celebrate. IITA Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, highlighted these wins during his recent visit to multiple program sites in DRC. One of the triumphs recorded was in
The IITA–CGIAR Project Development and Administration Unit (PDAU) organized a 3-day workshop on “Effective Proposal Budgeting, Grants Management, and Administration” at the Institute’s headquarters from 18 to 20 July 2022. The workshop aimed to develop capacity and close the knowledge gap of participating institutions to enhance effective service delivery in managing grants from IITA and other international development organizations. In attendance were
Building the capacities of the younger generation would translate into immediate and long-term goal gains within and outside the organization and the agricultural enterprise as a whole. This was the drive of the conversation when Prof John Derera, IITA Head of Breeding, received ten students from the Pan African University for Life and Earth Sciences (PAULESI) on 6 August. The students were drawn from eight
The IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) is recognized as one of the pioneer models for youth engagement in the agriculture sector. Since its inception in 2012, IYA has led several initiatives involving women, the young and old in providing jobs and ensuring food sustainability. As the world celebrates International Youth Day (IYD) on 12 August, IYA acknowledges the importance of the critical roles
Andre Zandstra, Global Director, Innovative Finance and Resource Mobilization at the CGIAR System Management Office, visited the IITA–STEP Agribusiness Facility in Fasola, Oyo State, during his visit to the IITA headquarters in Ibadan recently. He was received by the students, STEP teachers, school administration, and members of the STEP team at Fasola Grammar School, Oyo. While touring some of the facilities, which included the
The CGIAR Global Director for Innovative Finance and Resource Mobilization, Andre Zandstra, in his week-long visit to IITA, 26–30 July, witnessed first-hand the business, research solutions, technology innovations, and impact deliverables of IITA. At the Business Incubation Platform (BIP), the technology delivery arm of IITA, responsible for producing agricultural solutions and upscaling them for commercial benefit, Zandstra had a run-down of the efficacy, use,
Following her emergence as the 2022 winner of the prestigious Illumina Agricultural Greater Good Initiative Grant, IITA Molecular Geneticist Ranjana Bhattacharjee and her team are receiving support for research in yam sequencing data. Yam is considered an orphan crop and is a staple in Nigeria and some parts of Africa. The grant announcement made on Illumina’s website earlier in the year stated that “Bhattacharjee’s work is
The Senior Regional Director of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Dr Pierre Kadet, and his Country team visited IITA–CGIAR headquarters on 22 July. The purpose of the visit was to explore values chains of some IITA crops, such as soybean, and request support and linkages on other non-IITA mandate crops like rice and groundnut. Giving the welcome address, Chrysantus Akem, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation