IITA News

The business plan: The compass of the agripreneur

Starting in May 2020, expert trainers from the ENABLE Youth Cameroon (EYC) program had received and analyzed the business plans of aspiring ‘agripreneurs’ participating in the program. They are currently assisting the agripreneurs in finalizing their business plans, which could be financed by a yet-to-be-determined investor. As part of the business analysis phase of the…

IITA partners trained on effective management and administration of grants

Years of dealing with IITA’s project partners have shown that many of them have faced challenges in managing and understanding the rules that guide grant administration, especially as they relate to sub-agreements signed with the Institute. These gaps have affected project reporting, resulting in delayed fund disbursements to their institutions and from IITA donors. As…

Manioc 21: Changing lives of farmers in Central Africa

The project Cassava of the Twenty-First Century, code named Manioc 21, has helped improve the lives of farmers in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Manioc 21 was jointly executed by the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), IITA, and the Regional Platform of the Farmers Organizations of Central Africa (PROPAC)….

Project to develop Aflasafe technology that controls deadly aflatoxin in Uganda launched

Kampala, Uganda – The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) will collaborate to finalize the development of Aflasafe—a safe and effective natural product for the integrated management of aflatoxin in the maize, sorghum, and groundnut value chains in Uganda. This is through a four-year project, funded by aBi Development Ltd….

PDAU trains IITA partners on effective management and administration of grants

Years of dealing with IITA’s project partners show that many of them have faced challenges in managing and understanding the rules that guide grant administration, especially as they relate to sub-agreements signed with the Institute. These gaps have affected project reporting, resulting in delayed fund disbursements to their institutions and from IITA donors. As part…

Agrihub launch: Partners meet to map out project plan

On 13 and 14 July, the team of partners working on the implementation of the Integrated Agribusiness Hub project organized a virtual workshop to discuss strategies to actualize project goals. The ceremonial inception workshop was organized to officially launch the project and create an avenue for partners and representatives of donor organizations to share views…

IITA collaborates with Ogun State government on agriculture

As part of measures to foster partnerships in agricultural transformation with governments in Nigeria, CGIAR-IITA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Ogun State. With agriculture being a vital source of income in southwest Nigeria and the country as a whole, IITA is exploring partnerships that will out-scale the available agricultural innovations…

IITA empowers Ogoni youth on agribusiness for sustainable livelihoods

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Environment in partnership with IITA, under the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), commissioned a cassava processing factory in Korokoro Community, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State. The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abubakar, represented by the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Marvin Dekil, during the commissioning, noted…

STEP initiative to reduce number of out-of-school children in Oyo State

The Start Them Early Program (STEP) can help the Oyo State government reduce the number of out-of-school children in the State. The Coordinator of IITA’s STEP initiative, Adedayo Adefioye, made this assertion on 23 July 2020, during the official launch of the program and the modern agribusiness training facilities at Fasola Grammar School in Oyo…

Researchers evaluating a potato field for resistance to PCN.

IITA scientists spearhead efforts to save East Africa’s potatoes from a new pest threat

Scientists at CGIAR-IITA, working with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) under the joint Nematology Unit, NemAfrica, housed at icipe’s campus in Nairobi, and their national and international partners, have been at the forefront of efforts to address a new emerging pest threat to the production of potato in the East Africa region, and in many…