IITA will continue to stand out as a leading research institute in all areas — Nteranya Sanginga, IITA DG.

I am pleased to announce to all that 2018 came to a successful end as a result of the dedication and commitment of staff, despite the dramatic decline in central funding encountered by the institute. In the midst of it all, IITA had no option but to prepare for the future and reorganize its manner of operation by transforming into a project-based institution in a manner that protects staff and programs, ensuring minimum disruption. This became a major priority as a way for the institute to change its financial landscape.

IITA has made great strides and notable achievements this year. One of the outstanding achievements of IITA was the African Food Prize award which was won by the institute after a careful consideration of many able candidates. This became a reality due to remarkable research, innovation and development efforts of IITA which has had tremendous impact on food security and incomes of many livelihoods across Africa. We have made progress on all thematic areas and our financial outlook for 2018 is satisfactory. All categories of staff, are playing a key role in raising funds, placing IITA at the center, ahead of individual aspirations. This year’s Partnership for Delivery week was a huge success, as IITA staff across all hubs convened to deliberate and brainstorm on ways the institute can go beyond research, while delivering to end-users to attain impact at scale.
Congratulations to the entire IITA team for all the milestones attained this year and I am optimistic that come 2019, our innovations will get into the hands of more farmers and we will also have more success stories to tell. I wish all the staff a fruitful celebration as we all look forward to more breakthroughs and achievements in 2019. Long live IITA!