On 3 October, Mali’s new Minister of Agriculture, Lassine Dembélé, met with IITA–CGIAR Sahel Hub Director Abdoulaye Tahirou as both parties discussed ongoing projects and opportunities for collaboration aimed at strengthening food security and promoting youth employment in Mali’s agricultural sector.
Tahirou congratulated Minister Dembélé and highlighted IITA’s research and development mission to improve agricultural productivity in Africa. He also outlined the Institute’s specific projects in Mali, including the CSAT project, which focuses on introducing climate-smart agricultural technologies and the improvement of rural livelihoods in Mali and youth employment in agricultural value chains, as well as the BBEST project.
One of the highlights of the meeting was the One CGIAR, a major reform in global agriculture in which IITA plays a leading role in Mali. Tahirou explained the aims and benefits of this reform, showing how it can strengthen agricultural research and innovation in the country.
Finally, Tahirou presented a new one-year project that IITA is implementing with funding from the World Food Program (WFP). This project aims to address critical food security challenges in Mali and strengthen the resilience of local communities to climatic and economic shocks.
Minister Dembélé thanked IITA Mali for its initiatives and commitment to agricultural development. He particularly praised the Institute’s efforts in promoting soybean cultivation in Mali, underlining its importance for crop diversification and nutrition. The Minister also emphasized that the Government of Mali is aligned with IITA’s objectives regarding food security and youth employment. He expressed his desire to work closely together to achieve these ambitious goals.
Since his appointment, this was the first meeting between IITA Mali and Mali’s new Minister of Agriculture. It marks the start of a new era of fruitful cooperation in favor of sustainable agricultural development, food security, and youth employment in the country. The projects and initiatives discussed at the meeting point to a promising collaboration between Mali and IITA for the benefit of Malian agriculture and the improvement of the lives of rural populations.
Contributed by Fatoumata DoloContributed by
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