January 2019 - Page 2 of 4

Social media coverage culminates in top Twitter awards

Social media is a critical component of IITA’s integrated communication strategy to create greater engagement with its network of strategic partners, experts, and influencers who support the Institute’s vision of transforming African agriculture. The IITA Communication Unit organized a competition for the most proficient Twitter users among the scientists and hubs during the 2018 Partnerships…

IITA Cassava Specialist elected as the new ISTRC president

On 7 December 2018, Richardson Okechukwu, IITA Cassava Commodity Specialist and Head of Onne Station, was elected as the President of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops-Africa Branch (ISTRC-AB), for his commitment and expertise on Root and Tuber Crops (RTC) along various value chains. He takes over from the President, Prof Lateef Sani, whose…

IITA bags #AgTwitterCup 2018 award for communicating on African agricultural transformation

The effectiveness of social media in passing information cannot be underestimated as it is both educative and engaging. It is on this platform that the inaugural edition of #AgTwitterCup2018 launched in October 2018 was based. The competition was organized by IITA researcher, James Legg, with social media consultants John Agboola and Olumide Idowu, who were…

IITA research shows: Adopting improved cassava varieties reduces poverty

A team of IITA Scientists led by Wossen Assfaw, have documentary evidence to show that effective adoption of an agricultural technology reduces poverty, especially in the case of improved cassava varieties in Nigeria. Empirical evidence on the relationship between agricultural research and poverty reduction has suggested that improved agricultural technologies may not necessarily lead to…

Akinyele Local Government officials honor DG Sanginga

IITA Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, was honored by the Akinyele Local Government Authority, Ibadan, by naming a street after him on 12 January at Akingbile for his dedication and selfless sacrifice in transforming and improving the livelihoods of people within the neighboring community and sub-Saharan Africa at large. The street, formerly named Road H…

IITA Women’s Group awards scholarships

The IITA Women’s Group (WG) organized a scholarship award ceremony at the Institute’s headquarters on 22 November. The award scheme is designed to assist IITA national staff on or below PG 6 in sponsoring their children for an academic session. The ceremony was attended by members of WG led by Charlotte Sanginga, Head of the…

IITA research data now more visible to users!

The visibility of IITA research datasets in GARDIAN in 2018 is a major achievement for IITA, championed by the Data Management team under the Communication Unit. GARDIAN, an acronym for Global Agricultural Research Data Innovation and Acceleration Network, is a search engine created by CGIAR to crawl and index datasets as well as publications in…

Tracking adoption of improved varieties in informal seed systems using GBS markers: A case study using cassava

Assessing the impact of crop improvement has been a concern for agricultural researchers as varieties tend to look alike. Improved varieties of cassava, a clonally propagated crop, were mostly disseminated through informal seed systems, making the task of variety tracking difficult. However, researchers from IITA, Michigan State University, and Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial…

IITA’s transformation initiative pays off in Africa

IITA has lifted 7.2 million Africans out of poverty through its research innovations. The success of projects carried out by the Institute in 2018 has immensely helped in achieving a large percentage of its goal, according to Director General Nteranya Sanginga. Sanginga, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that as…

Board Chair Amos Namanga Ngongi cuts the ribbon to open the new Tissue Culture

IITA Tissue Culture Building launched in grand style

On 30 November, the 2018 P4D Week closed with the commissioning of the Tissue Culture Building. The event, which was anchored by Katherine Lopez, Head of Communication, was attended by a thousand staff members led by IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga, all the Deputy Director Generals, IITA Board Chair Amos Namanga Ngongi, and Board members,…