News Overview

As part of IITA–CGIAR’s commitment to strengthening the capacity of national institutions and partners, the Project Development and Administration Unit (PDAU) held a webinar on Wednesday, 13 August 2025, with 54 participants from 12 partner institutions across locations hosting IITA hubs. The session focused on equipping partner staff with the knowledge and skills to manage development grants effectively, emphasizing donor compliance,

IITA–CGIAR has reaffirmed its commitment to global partnerships that support its mission of alleviating poverty and ensuring food security for millions of farm families across sub-Saharan Africa. On 26 August, IITA welcomed the Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nigeria Office, Yuzurio Susumu, to its headquarters in Ibadan. Danbaba Dogara, JICA Technical Staff for the CD Seed Project; Stephen Nwanya,

IITA–CGIAR hosted the close-out workshop of the Building an Economically Sustainable, Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS-II) project from 25 to 27 August at the headquarters in Ibadan. The three-day event brought together partners and delegates from Nigeria and Tanzania to reflect on five years of achievements and chart the way forward for cassava seed systems in Africa. Funded by the Gates Foundation,

IITA–CGIAR and its partners have achieved a historic milestone in Liberia’s agricultural sector through the Seed4Liberia Project. For the first time in the country’s history, breeder seeds of improved IITA cassava varieties were exported in large quantities, used to establish breeder seed fields, and distributed to 27 pioneering foundation seed producers. These seed entrepreneurs will play a pivotal role in developing

IITA–CGIAR, in conjunction with partners and the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), held a capacity-building workshop for Commercial Seed Yam entrepreneurs under the Program for Seed System Innovation for Vegetatively Propagated Crops in Africa (PROSSIVA) project, on 1 September at the Local Government training hall, Oyo State Secretariat. The PROSSIVA project started with six states in Nigeria and two

IITA–CGIAR organized a scientific seminar on 27 August, themed “Genome engineering of African staple food crops.” The event, anchored by IITA Director of the West Africa Hub, Michael Abberton, showcased the pioneering research work of IITA Plant Transformation Specialist, Jaindra Tripathi. In his presentation, Tripathi highlighted the urgency of addressing global hunger and food insecurity, particularly in Africa, where the situation is increasingly

Véronique Tevodrje and Christelle Dekadjevi are two young Beninese women bound by a strong friendship and a shared passion for modern agriculture. These two young women were part of the fifth cohort of the ENABLE-TAAT incubation program being implemented by the IITA Youth in Agribusiness program, where they received comprehensive training in sustainable agricultural techniques, agribusiness management, and innovation across the vegetable value chain.

By Ankita Tiwari  Across the Global South, countries face shared challenges, climate change, food insecurity, fragmented markets, and limited resources for research and innovation. Yet these nations also share a unique strength: a wealth of knowledge, diverse farming practices, and complementary innovations that, if exchanged and scaled, can transform agriculture and rural livelihoods. This is the promise of South–South cooperation,