US Consul General visits IITA for collaboration on advocacy matters
On 11 March, the US Consul General, Ms Claire Pierangelo and her team visited IITA Ibadan campus. The purpose of the visit was for the Consul General to understand the activities of IITA and help in areas of advocacy and partnership with international organizations.
The team on a tour, visits Aflasafe unit under the IITA Business Incubation Platform.
After giving the team a warm welcome, Kwame Akuffo-Akoto, Acting Director-General gave a brief introduction of IITA and a video was shown giving an overview of the Institute’s activities. “We are always happy to welcome our partners,” Akuffo-Akoto said.
Explaining the purpose of their visit, Ms Pierangelo, mentioned that the team is interested in knowing areas where the US Consul can advocate for IITA and Nigerian policy that can help farmers and boost the activities of IITA. “At the end of the day, we want to see your research put into action with better funding,” she added.
The team was also taken on a tour of the Institute, focusing on the units under the Business Incubation Platform including Aflasafe and Nodumax.
The US Consul General, Ms Claire Pierangelo, explaining the purpose of their visit.
After a brief lecture on the benefits of Nodumax to soybean by Ayodele Alonge, Nodumax and GoSeed Plant Manager, Gerald Smith, Regional Counsellor for USDA Agriculture advised that IITA reach out to soybean farmers in Osun State to encourage increased soybean production through the application of Nodumax. “Visiting Osun State, I realized that they are looking to scale up in soybean production. Let them know about Nodumax,” Smith said.
At the end of the tour, Ms Pierangelo promised to revisit IITA with her public affairs team, to get more information, take pictures, and highlight the activities of IITA on their information page.
