IITA News

Maize project supports partners in COVID-19 response

As the world continues the fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, food production, employment, income and welfare of people in Africa, as well as in other parts of the world, need to be given extra attention. More than 70% of the rural population in West and Central Africa depend on subsistence farming, and this is…

Human activities are the No.1 contributors for the globalization of plant pests

Human activities are the no. 1 contributors to globalizing plant pests

If there is anything the deadly COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it is that diseases do not know boundaries and humans are responsible for carrying and spreading diseases from person to person. This is also true for several plant pests. Humans are the leading carriers of the intercontinental spread of plant pests and diseases –…

Malawi registers Aflasafe®—The cost-effective technology for aflatoxin management

The long wait for registration of Aflasafe products in Malawi has finally ended as the Pesticides Control Board (PCB) has now given the approval. Earlier, the technology was given the green light by the Agricultural Technical Clearing Committee, a unit under the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS). This registration paves the way for the…

Is agriculture a punishment or an opportunity?

It is no longer news that in Africa, agriculture is an occupation practiced by the aged in rural areas. African youth prefer migrating to urban areas in search of white-collar jobs to pursue a career in agriculture. This is because the youth have the mindset about agriculture being difficult and having little gains. The drudgery…

IITA commissions new meeting facility at HQ in Ibadan

A new meeting facility was commissioned at IITA headquarters recently. The meeting room, based at the Facilities Management Services (FMS), is called the Savanna Room. It is an ultra-modern facility suitable for teleconferencing and online forums designed and built internally by the FMS team led by Waheed Quader. “The room was named after the beautiful…

IITA identifies opportunities to make a difference amidst COVID-19 spread across Africa

COVID-19 Update: Extension of lockdown measures

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IITA has announced that the Institute will be extending the temporary lockdown measures in its different locations until further notice. Deputy Director General, Corporate Services, Hilde Koper-Limbourg announced this on 9 April, in an email communique to all staff. She noted that there might be further announcements if the governments…

IITA alumnus to represent One CGIAR at UN Food Systems Summit

Former President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Director General of AfricaRice, and an IITA alumnus, Dr Kanayo F. Nwanze has been appointed as CGIAR Special Representative to the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), which is tentatively scheduled to take place in late 2021. At the Summit, he will be bringing…

Data management gets a boost

Data management in IITA got a boost with IITA’s participation in Research Data Alliance 15th Plenary for Interest Group on Agriculture Data (IGAD) online held on 9 April 2020. IITA was asked to present on its efforts at promoting agricultural data. Institutional Data Manager Olatunbosun Obileye presented on the topic,” Improving data integrity by integrating…

AgroEcoHealth focus: Agriculture’s role in the development of mosquitoes

IITA Molecular Entomologist and Head of the AgroEcoHealth Platform in Cotonou, Rousseau Djouaka, has revealed the role of agriculture in the proliferation of mosquitoes concerning the spread of Buruli ulcer (BU). Djouaka highlighted this in his presentation, “The IITA AgroEcoHealth Platform, Starting from Ground Zero towards New Challenges,” which he gave at the IITA HQ…

Rwandans benefit from IITA Women’s Group scholarship for the first time

The IITA Women’s Group has awarded scholarships to 14 Rwandan students in its annual scholarship initiative, which reached Rwanda for the first time since inception. The award ceremony was held in February 2020 in Kamonyi District, southern Rwanda. The award scheme is designed to assist IITA junior national staff in sponsoring their children for an academic session….