Vice-Chancellor of Uni of Abuja visits IITA Abuja Station
Visitors at the yam screen house.
A 5-member delegation from the University of Abuja led by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah visited IITA Abuja Station on 14 September. The objective of the visit was to explore the possibility of reviving a 2009 MoU between the University and IITA.
Head of IITA-Abuja, Gbassey Tarawali, and the IITA Yam Seed Systems Specialist and former University of Abuja lecturer, Beatrice Aighewi, received the delegation. Tarawali welcomed the visitors, saying “We are both a learning and research Institute and there is need for sharing knowledge as often as possible.” He made a presentation on IITA’s work in Abuja, Nigeria, and sub-Saharan Africa in the last 50 years.
Presenting on the “Recent developments yam seed systems,” Aighewi pinpointed the shift from using tubers to vines in yam propagation so that more tubers will be available for food. She also indicated that two students from the University of Abuja were carrying out their projects within the Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project.
The Vice-Chancellor, during the visit said, “Agriculture is one of the thrusts of the university.” He explained in detail, the structure, achievements, challenges, and the plan for the Faculty of Agriculture in the University, stressing that IITA has a lot to offer the University based on its track record over the years. He posited that “The MoU with IITA must work and fast too. For this reason, I brought the Dean and the most senior management staff in the Faculty on this visit to IITA today,” emphasizing the importance of the visit to the University.
In his response, Tarawali welcomed the idea of working together and noted that “It will be a great opportunity for us to work actively together.”
The visitors were taken on a tour of the Station afterwards.
