IITA-Mozambique is home at last!

It was a journey that started over six years ago. But finally, on 1 March, IITA-Mozambique – “Instituto Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Estação de Nampula” – was finally home.

“Our new IITA-Mozambique ‘home’ is not complete yet, but it’s ours and it is functional. We’ll eventually get there,” said Steve Boahen, IITA Country Representative for Mozambique and Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa. “I would like to thank all those who helped in various ways to make this dream a reality – IITA Management, FMS, and most importantly staff of IITA-Mozambique,” he added.

The new IITA-Mozambique facility is about 15 km east of downtown Nampula City and 500 m away from our main research partner, the National Research Institute of Mozambique, Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM). The proximity to IIAM was a major criterion for selecting the location of the new office as this will further facilitate interaction and interaction among staff and sharing of facilities and resources between the two Institutions. The office is also only 12 km from IITA’s 100-ha research field on the outskirts of Nampula.

The administration and research building has 11 offices, 3 laboratories, a 25-seat meeting room, a computer room with 10 workstations, and a small kitchen. Two of the laboratories are for aflatoxin research (pathology) and agronomy and soil fertility, while the third is yet to be assigned. East of the main building is a structure that houses a 200-ton capacity seed store, a seed processing room, a general storage room, and a working area supported by USAID.

“We are on the second phase of a three-phase construction timetable to finally complete our home. Once this is complete, we’ll pop open the champagne and invite everyone to celebrate with us,” Boahen revealed.

IITA-Mozambique’s new official address is IITA-Mozambique, Av. FPLM 8 km, via Corrane, Muhala Expansão, Nampula, Mozambique.