IITA News

Picture of Bamba highligthing the new changes in the structure of the capacity development office.

Capacity Development to support country implementation of ENABLE Youth and TAAT to transform Africa’s agriculture

Dissemination and delivery of technologies at scale is now an important part of IITA’s work as it seeks to have impact in its effort to transform Africa’s agriculture. The Capacity Development Office (CDO) has an important role to play in this. During the inaugural P4D Week, the head of CDO, Zoumana Bamba, presented on the…

Mechanization unit – supporting Africa to get rid of hand hoes and cutlasses

One of the main constraints to transforming Africa’s agriculture is low mechanization. IITA has therefore set up a new unit on Mechanization to look at how to reduce drudgery in the farm using appropriate agricultural tools. Presenting on the new unit’s progress, Peter Kolawole said the Mechanization unit seeks to introduce appropriate technologies for African…

Picture of Atta-Krah making his presentation on systems research

What is IITA’s position in ongoing systems research and site integration of the CGIAR?

Humidtropics has been shut down but systems research is still alive and thriving and the concept has been mainstreamed in all CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs). The challenge now is the mechanism for the mainstreaming,” said Kwesi Atta-Krah as he updated IITA staff on the systems and site integration initiatives of CGIAR. Systems research, he said,…

Picture of Agripreneurs from all IITA hubs talk about their activities in Africa.

Youth Agripreneurs program forging ahead to change youth mindsets to agriculture in Africa

On the second day of P4D Week, youth Agripreneurs presented on their various activities. The presentations were started off by the leader of the Youth Agripreneurs at IITA, Evelyn Ohanwusi. She said the initial vision of the program was to support youth at the individual level by moving incomes from 0 to $700 a month…

Red Ferrari: Journey of an award-winning entrepreneur, Josephine Okot

The Red Ferrari lecture at this year’s P4D Week was delivered by Josephine Okot, the proprietor of Victoria Seed Company in Uganda and also an IITA board member. Okot has received many national and international awards including the prestigious YARA Prize for Green Revolution in Africa in 2007. In 2014 she was nominated as the…

DG Sanginga details blueprint of operations for the next five years

DG Nteranya Sanginga laid out the Institute’s priorities for his second term, saying that the move is necessary to correct the imbalance resulting from the influx of projects, funds, staff, and partners from 2011 to 2016. These were laid out in his recent report to the IITA Board of Trustees. According to the report, for…

Picture of Humidtropics Director Kwesi Atta-Krah speaking to participants.

Humidtropics markets its legacy products to other CRPs

Humidtropics, in partnership with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), organized a “Systems Marketplace” workshop on 15-17 November at IITA, Ibadan. It showcased its portfolio of systems research legacy products for uptake in the new CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs). The more than 100 specially invited participants included leaders and researchers at the CGIAR…

Picture of a wild banana used in the IITA banana breeding program

IITA scientists cited for their work on battling pests and diseases to save the banana

Two IITA scientists have been cited for their work in helping to eradicate the tropical race 4 disease (TR4) that threatens to destroy the Cavendish banana and the multibillion dollar industry associated with it. In an article entitled Can the Banana be Saved published by the NOVANEXT journal on 3 November, IITA scientists Rony Swennen…

Picture of An IITA team from the East Africa hub led by Victor Manyong, R4D Director (right), visited with the Deputy Prime Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Tanzania’s Youth Deputy Minister hails IITA’s Youth Agripreneur program and seeks to strengthen collaboration

The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for Labor, Youth and Employment, Hon Anthony Mavunde, has praised IITA’s Youth Agripreneurs Program in Tanzania and would like to tap into the Institute’s experience and expertise to strengthen and implement a newly launched Youth in Agriculture Strategy for the country. Hon. Mavunde was speaking to…

Picture of YIIFSWA Project Leader Norbert Maroya cutting the ribbon during the launch of the aeroponics system at CSIR-Ghana.

YIIFSWA: Yam is no longer a seasonal crop

With the aeroponics system (AS), yam production is no longer seasonal,” Norbert Maroya announced in his keynote address at the launch of a newly established AS for high-quality pre-basic and basic seed planting materials production at the The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Crop Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) in Kumasi, Ghana, on 10 November. The Yam…