IITA Archives - IITA News

BOWEN strengthens partnership with IITA to promote student and youth entrepreneurship

IITA continually partners with government and private organizations, including universities, to advance agricultural activities and promote digitalization in Africa. BOWEN University has been a partner of IITA for many years, especially agricultural and capacity development programs. On a recent visit, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice Chancellor, BOWEN University, accompanied by the University’s principal officers, sought to…

IITA donates elite planting materials to boost FCT farmers’ productivity

Farmers in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, received a boost as the IITA-Abuja team donated 330 kg of improved, disease- and drought-tolerant seedlings to the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA). The Head IITA-Abuja Station, Gbassey Tarawali, presented elite planting materials comprising maize, cowpea, and soybean to the FCTA Management at the ministry’s head office in Abuja. In…

GRC expands facilities for cryobanking and conservation

On 19 May, IITA Genetic Resources Center (GRC) inaugurated its revamped, ultra-modern gene bank and office complex at the Institute’s headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. The new building provides more workspace and facilities for cryobanking—the long-term conservation of crops such as cassava, maize, plantain and banana, cowpea, soybean, yam, and some of the important underutilized crops…

Baale of Araromi confers chieftaincy title on IITA Director General

The Baale of Araromi Idi-Ose, Chief Rahman Adebayo Oniduhun, has conferred a traditional chieftaincy title on IITA’s Director General, Nteranya Sanginga. This followed a visit to the IITA headquarters of a delegation of 10 chiefs from the Institute’s host community, Idi-Ose land, led by the new Baale on 15 April. The DG received the delegates with the Deputy Director General, Corporate Services, Hilde Koper; Head Security and Safety, David Oluwadare; Manager for Resource Protocol, Toyin Oke; and members of IITA’s Communication team. DG Sanginga welcomed the guests, giving a brief overview of IITA’s location, forest, lake, workforce, and the Institute’s presence…

COVID-19: Leading the fight from the front lines

IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga and other frontline staff receive the vaccine as the vaccination rollout begins at the Institute. The vaccination at the IITA Clinic is part of the first wave of the vaccination program in the country after Nigeria has taken delivery of the first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. IITA has requested…

IITA promotes a gender-balanced environment

IITA has always maintained a policy of zero tolerance for discrimination. As usual, IITA joined the rest of the world to celebrate Zero Discrimination Day on 1 March by organizing a virtual seminar themed “End Inequality,” The purpose was to create awareness on the concept of discrimination and how to guard against it in the…

IITA’s work, fundamental for Africa’s stability and development– Belgian Ambassador

IITA’s work, fundamental to Africa’s stability and development – Belgian Ambassador

On a recent visit to IITA Ibadan, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, His Excellency, Mr Daniel Bertrand, described the Institute’s work as fundamental for Africa’s stability and development. The Ambassador visited the headquarters for the first time to engage with and understand IITA’s research and operations better. The Belgian Embassy’s Director,…

CGIAR centers applying CRISPR/Cas to improve roots, tubers, and bananas

One CGIAR centers are now using CRISPR/Cas, a form of genome editing, to help speed up the development of improved high-yielding roots, tubers, and bananas (RTB)—these are essential staple food crops in tropical and subtropical countries grown for food security. Genome editing either silences or knocks out a gene of interest in the plant genome…

Genome editing is the future of plant breeding

“Genome editing is the future of plant breeding in terms of being more efficient and getting more genetic gains,” said Kingstone Mashingaidze, one of the speakers at the recently held CGIAR webinar on genome editing. CGIAR centers using genome editing recently started a webinar series that will investigate the practice, benefits, social acceptance, and regulation…

IITA Business Incubation Platform appoints first Advisory Board

The IITA Business Incubation Platform (BIP) has announced the appointment of its inaugural Advisory Board, which held its first board meeting last June. CEO of Enviro Gro Farms, Mrs Nkiru Opareke, will serve as Chair of the Board, which will provide leadership and overall guidance to increase organizational growth and impact. The appointed board members…