An IITA delegation led by IITA Goodwill Ambassador Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, visited the President of the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, on 4 September at the State House in Dar es Salaam. The meeting occurred as Tanzania hosted the world’s donor community, experts, scientists, researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders at the week-long Africa Food Systems Forum to discuss solutions to recover, regenerate, and transform Africa’s food systems.
The delegation and President Hassan discussed ways to strengthen the excellent partnership and cooperation between IITA and the Tanzanian government through the Ministry of Agriculture and other ministries.
IITA expressed its commitment to collaborating with the government to bolster research and scaling of the tissue culture of bananas and other horticulture crops. They also highlighted collaboration in implementing the Building Better Tomorrow (BBT) program, a vision close to the heart of the President. This program aims to include more youths and women in agriculture, which will contribute to attaining the agenda 10/30.
Moreover, IITA committed to continue serving the URT by making an impactful contribution to agricultural transformation and improving the livelihoods of its people through the research for development activities implemented in the country to support the government’s readiness to feed the world as the agenda explicitly set during the AGRF2023 summit.
In an exciting turn of events, President Hassan graciously accepted the role of IITA Eastern Africa Champion for Agricultural Research. IITA Eastern Africa Hub Director Leena Tripathi was on hand to celebrate this with other members of the delegation, including IITA Head of Advocacy and Resource Mobilization Regina Kapinga, Eastern Africa Finance and Administration Head Jacqueline Musiimenta, Head of Resource Mobilization, Protocol and External Liaison (RMPEL) Toyin Oke. The Tanzanian Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Hussein Bashe, and his team were also present.
Further discussions with the Minister of Agriculture focused on collaboration to transform Tanzania’s agriculture sector and position it as Africa’s food basket. Minister Bashe expressed appreciation for IITA’s valuable contributions to the ministry’s activities and requested continued support to enhance research capacity through capacity building and improving the infrastructure of national research institutions.
IITA affirmed its continuing commitment to support Tanzania’s efforts to transform its agriculture sector. Contributed by Gloriana NdibalemaContributed by
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