AfDB to strengthen strategic partnerships with IITA in Nigeria

29 November 2024

In a bid to advance partnership efforts between IITA -CGIAR and the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Director General for Nigeria, Dr Abdul Kamara, accompanied by AfDB Chief Agro-Industry Officer, Dr Chukwuma Ezedinma, met with IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, at IITA headquarters in Ibadan.

This engagement emphasized the importance of collaboration in advancing food security and agricultural transformation across Africa.

Welcoming Dr Kamara, Dr Ehui expressed enthusiasm for the visit. "It's a pleasure to have the AfDB team at IITA. Beyond our professional relationship, I am proud of Dr Kamara's leadership in this critical role for our shared vision of a food-secure continent," Dr Ehui remarked.

The visit underscored IITA's contributions to agricultural research and innovation. The delegation explored cutting-edge work in cassava, maize, food safety (including biocontrol innovations like Aflasafe), youth engagement, and the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program.

Dr Kamara commended IITA's efforts, emphasizing the need to align research outputs with scalable innovations while addressing challenges.

"We must think ahead-exploring opportunities for future programs like TAAT 3 and integrating gender and climate considerations into our efforts," he stated. He highlighted the significance of program preparation and feasibility studies to maximize impact, noting, "It's not just about funding; it's about ensuring tangible outcomes."

Dr Ezedinma commended IITA's progress over the years and advocated for a focus on scaling innovations and formalizing approaches to transform agriculture. He also stressed the importance of leveraging lessons from previous initiatives, such as State Project Implementation Units (SPIUs) and Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), to inform future programs.

Following the brief from some of IITA's researchers present at the meeting, Dr Ehui said IITA is focused on leveraging strategic partnerships to scale innovations that can transform the food systems' landscape. AfDB is one of the significant allies the institute has worked closely with over the years.

Looking at ways to further streamline collaborations with IITA, Dr Kamara said his office will dedicate a focal point to ensure seamless interactions. Speaking on youth engagement, he commended the IITA Youth program, adding that youth-led agribusinesses need business-friendly loan rates and entrepreneurship ecosystems that will strengthen agriculture value chains.

Following a tour of IITA's facilities, during which the visitors saw first-hand some of the existing technologies at IITA, Dr Kamara highlighted the importance of scaling and market access for technologies like Aflasafe and the need to leverage partnerships with policymakers.

Speaking on engaging the government and policymakers, Dr Ehui said this is necessary for innovation to scale and impact, as state actors are critical in the process of scaling.

Discussions also focused on soil systems, climate change, food safety, nutrition, and seed systems. "We can take advantage of the existing technologies at IITA to make the change that we all seek to transform Africa and the lives of millions," Dr Ehui said.

Reaffirmed AfDB's commitment to impactful partnerships with IITA, envisioning transformative results for Nigeria and the broader continent, "I look forward to working with IITA to bridge critical gaps and drive change in Africa's agricultural landscape," Dr Kamara added.

This visit reinforced the shared commitment of IITA and AfDB to harness innovative solutions, foster collaboration, and scale impact to ensure sustainable food systems across Africa.

Contributed by 'Timilehin Osunde.

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