Bulletin story Archives - Page 20 of 138

Charismatic root and tuber champion passes on

Professor Felix Nweke, whose work on cassava and other tropical root and tuber crop like yam left a lasting impact on agricultural value chains in multiple African countries, passed away last month, August, in the US. A forerunner of value chain research and transformation in Africa, former IITA senior economist, and Michigan State University professor,…

Vice-Chancellor of Uni of Abuja visits IITA Abuja Station

A 5-member delegation from the University of Abuja led by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah visited IITA Abuja Station on 14 September. The objective of the visit was to explore the possibility of reviving a 2009 MoU between the University and IITA. Head of IITA-Abuja, Gbassey Tarawali, and the IITA Yam Seed Systems Specialist and former University of Abuja…

IITA and Ministry of Agriculture, DRC consolidate cooperation

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed an enhanced cooperation agreement with IITA regarding the development of DRC’s agricultural sector for the next 5 years. The signing ceremony took place on 9 September in the capital city, Kinshasa. IITA Country Representative in DR Congo, Zoumana Bamba said the agreement…

Degradable waste: Soon to become an asset in Oyo State

IITA is looking at how to produce biogas from degradable waste. In line with this, DG Nteranya Sanginga called for a 3-day seminar for the youth biogas team on proposal writing, work plan drafting, and business plan writing. The seminar, which took place 16-18 September aimed to equip the team with the necessary skills for…

Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General

DG Sanginga’s tenure extended to ensure stability

The CGIAR-IITA Board of Trustees (BoT) has announced a one-year extension for Director General Nteranya Sanginga’s leadership tenure. Board Chair, Dr Christian Borgemeister, disclosed this to the Institute’s staff in a video address, where he explained the rationale for the decision to have the DG stay until November 2022. “Our reasoning as the IITA Board…

Panelists at the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2020

Youth empowerment key to African agricultural transformation

“Investing in young people is never a waste,” and to achieve the required agricultural transformation on the continent, Africa’s youth must be empowered and mentored. Training Coordinator of Young Africa Works-IITA, Evelyn Ohanwusi, asserted this at the Generation Africa panel, which took place on 9 September during the AGRF in Kigali, Rwanda. Ohanwusi joined other…

Nine CGIAR centers come together to deliver agronomic solutions at scale

During the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) virtual summit, CGIAR centers, supported by the Big Data Platform, launched the Excellence in Agronomy 2030 (EiA 2030) initiative. In his opening remarks, Dr Martin Kropff, Director General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and Co-chair of the One CGIAR Transition Advisory Group, said that…

Dr Kenton Dashiell highlighting TAAT’s role in transforming Africa’s agriculture.

TAAT @ AGRF2020: To feed the cities, Africa must close the yield gap, experts say

With the rains growing heavier, oceans rising and rural inhabitants migrating to cities on an unprecedented scale, leaving African cities under dual pressure from uncontrolled urbanization and hunger worsened by climate change, experts have identified closing the yield gap as a way out. This came out strongly at the just concluded African Green Revolution Forum’s…

AGRF 2020 highlights Africa’s internal $250 billion agricultural trade opportunity

In its 10th anniversary summit, the recent African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2020, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, focused on Africa’s rapidly expanding cities and food markets. Multiple speakers talked about the current African city markets that represent a US$250 billion opportunity, a value five times bigger than our present export markets. A video…

Researchers reveal a more sustainable approach to address postharvest fish losses

Small-scale inland capture fisheries contribute significantly toward enhancing the food, nutrition, and economic security of millions of people in low-income countries. Over time, several factors have restrained women’s participation in fishery value chains, limiting capture fisheries from achieving their full development potential. These factors have also reduced the impact that small-scale fisheries can have on…