IITA News

Picture of Dr Akinwumi Adesina receiving his cap and gown during the conferment ceremony.

IITA celebrates with AfDB President on conferment of honorary doctorate degrees

The Director General of IITA, Nteranya Sanginga and the IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) joined other well-wishers to celebrate with Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees of science award (D.Sc., honoris causa) by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State and Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba (AAUA)…

Picture of Dr Nteranya Sanginga speaks at the press conference in IITA

IITA, CFIL launch the first reality TV show on agriculture

IITA and its partner, the Corporate Farmers International (CFIL), organized a press conference at IITA headquarters in Ibadan in December 2015 to announce plans for Nigeria’s first agribusiness television reality show. The reality TV show aims to promote and attract youths to get actively involved in agriculture and agribusiness using the reality show platform as…

New Year messages

Nteranya Sanginga Thank you all for your hard work and dedication in 2015. Over the past four years we have worked together as a team and this approach will continue to be the major factor in our continued progress and success. Challenges lie ahead as always but as we embrace change and adapt, we have…

Picture of participants at the CGIAR Site Integration Workshop, Tanzania.

Agriculture stakeholders in Tanzania hail CGIAR move on integration

Stakeholders in the agricultural sector in Tanzania support the move by CGIAR to integrate the activities of the different centers and research programs (CRPs) and to better align with the country’s priorities in developing its agriculture sector. The stakeholders agreed on this at a national consultation workshop on CGIAR “site integration” that was held in…

Picture of President Olasegun Obasanjo (left) talking to Lava Kumar (right) about efforts to contain banana bunchy top.

IITA launches campaign to stop BBTD in Nigeria

The ‘Stop Bunchy Top’ campaign to prevent the spread of the Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) in Nigeria was launched by IITA in partnership with the Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service (NAQS), National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), and the Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture on 3 December, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. This campaign seeks to sensitize…

Picture of SARD-SC staff and AfDB officials during the visit to IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.

AfDB commends SARD-SC project as one of the Bank’s best managed projects

The SARD-SC project funded by the AfDB has come out tops once again, as the members of the Bank’s Supervisory mission have unequivocally described the project as one of the Bank’s best managed projects. This was the verdict of the AFDB officials who recently undertook the sixth supervisory mission to the IITA/SARD-SC project from 29 November –…

Picture of Stakeholders from Lushoto district DC, MAFC, VPO, IITA and PMO -RALG holding hands at the launching of the Lushoto district climate change Learning Alliance

COP 21 at the grassroots: stakeholders meet to launch district climate change learning alliances and develop local adaptation strategies

As the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) was ongoing in Paris on 30 November to 11 December, in both Kilolo and Lushoto districts, various stakeholders came together and established the district climate change learning alliances with the aim of sharing knowledge, strengthening capacity. and pooling synergies for influencing adoption of…

Picture of participants at SAPP project launch, Zambia

IITA-led cassava agribusiness project launched in Zambia

On 3 December, IITA launched the Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (SAPP) Cassava Intervention Plan, a project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Ministry of Agriculture. SAPP aims to improve income generating opportunities for smallholder cassava producers in Zambia through the creation of major market pull for products used in the…

Celebrating a day for soils

The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) commemorated the World Soil Day on 5 December with the theme “Soils: a solid ground for life”. At the FAO Headquarters in Rome, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and in Bangkok, Thailand, the celebration of the World Soil Day and the closure of the International Year…

Picture of Participants deliberating during the workshop

Climate proofing Uganda’s agriculture sector strategic plan

Non-state actors in Uganda recently met to review the country’s draft Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan (ASSP)–a five-year strategy document outlining the priorities and interventions for the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) from 2015/16 to 2019/20–to ensure it adequately addresses issues of climate change and food security. The meeting was convened by the…