Women are at the forefront of development in all sectors of society, and within the agricultural sector of developing countries, the labor burden of rural women exceeds that of men. Women account for approximately 60‒80% of agricultural labor while also handling complex household activities. The United Nations General Assembly declared 15 October as the International Day of Rural Women to
Food insecurity, child malnutrition, and rural poverty remain key issues that sub-Saharan Africa continues to deal with. This is partly because most smallholder farmers are engaged in low-intensity, subsistence-oriented farming, resulting in low yields and insufficient income to access nutritious foods. Sustained agricultural productivity growth and commercialization are required to address these challenges. Against this background, Julius Manda, an Agricultural Economist
IITA Director General Dr Nteranya Sanginga has been appointed as interim Chairman of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Nigeria Business Forum by President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the DRC. This platform creates a Chamber of Commerce between the two countries. This title was granted to him during the last meeting of the Makutano forum hosted by the presidency
Representatives of IITA–CGIAR from Ibadan and Abuja participated in the launch of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program held in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in October. The Nigeria SAPZ program, a government-enabled and private sector-led initiative, will mobilize private-sector investment to develop the value chain for selected strategic crops and livestock in seven selected participating states and the FCT
The Head of IITA Abuja Station and BASICS Project Manager, Professor Lateef Sanni, has been inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST). He was awarded the distinguished fellowship at the 21st World Congress of Food Science and Technology on 2 November in Singapore. A former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
The Excellence in Agronomy SAA-Use case Nigeria project held a workshop between 24 and 26 October at IITA Kano Station. The theme was the “SAA-Use Case Mid-season workshop and field day”. The workshop started with a field day, and participants gave feedback from the field on the second day. Attendees were from IITA–CGIAR and partner organizations: Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), AfricaRice, and
On 7 November, IITA signed an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Gabon to provide Technical Assistance to the Graine Phase 1 Support Project (PAPG1). The ceremony was presided over by Ndoutoumou Charles Theodore, Cabinet Director of the Minister of Agriculture and Food, representing the minister. IITA Central Africa Hub Director Zoumana Bamba represented the Institute at the ceremony. He was
From 8 to 10 November, IITA–CGIAR organized a workshop to validate the results of the diagnostic and evaluation of the maize seed market and cassava planting materials of the Strengthening the Supply of Improved Seeds and Improved Public-private Partnership in Central Africa (SISCA) project in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The workshop was attended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon, represented