IITA welcomed the Ambassador of the European Union (EU), His Excellency Ambassador Gautier Mignot, and the Head of Section for Human Development at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Professor Leila Ben-Amor Mathieu, to its headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, on 15 June. The visit formed part of the European Union’s broader engagement with key stakeholders in Nigeria. It provided an opportunity to review the longstanding partnership between the EU and IITA in science, research, and innovation while identifying new areas of mutual interest and collaboration.
Representing IITA Director General, Simeon Ehui, the Deputy Director General of Corporate Services, Hilde Koper, welcomed the delegation and described the visit as an honor to the institute. She highlighted IITA’s cooperation with the European Union and emphasized the institute’s value proposition.
The Deputy Director General of Research for Development, Bernard Vanlauwe, presented IITA’s mandate and its focus on transforming agriculture across Africa. He noted that the institute currently implements three active EU-supported projects on the continent and emphasized the importance of industrialization in creating jobs and adding value to agricultural products. Vanlauwe highlighted IITA’s efforts to improve food safety through aflatoxin control using Aflasafe for maize and groundnut production. He also showcased several innovations and initiatives designed to enhance productivity, nutrition, and sustainability, including AKILIMO, NoduMax, cocoa production and management practices, digital soil maps for fertilizer management, the IITA Youth Agripreneurs program, and various capacity-building initiatives.
Ambassador Mignot expressed his appreciation for the insightful presentation and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with institutions such as IITA. “We prefer speaking of partnerships rather than cooperation around the Global Gateway Investment Strategy,” he said. He further explained that the EU works closely with member-state embassies and primarily provides funding rather than directly implementing projects. According to him, the EU is keen to deepen collaboration with IITA under the Global Gateway Investment Strategy.
In Nigeria, he noted that the EU’s priorities in agriculture are climate-smart agriculture, promoting innovation, and ensuring that technologies reach farmers while improving nutrition throughout the agricultural value chain. Ambassador Mignot identified maize, cassava, and cocoa as priority commodities for collaboration and stressed the importance of equipping young people with skills and opportunities in agribusiness, as seen in IITA.
Professor Mathieu also highlighted the EU’s interest in nutrition, noting that its work focuses largely on health and that it possesses tools and opportunities that could strengthen the nutrition value chain. She further emphasized the importance of capacity building, skills development, and the promotion of dual education systems in universities and polytechnics to better prepare young people for employment and entrepreneurship.
Responding to the EU delegates, the Deputy Director General of Partnerships for Delivery, Tahirou Abdoulaye, affirmed that IITA is open to partnerships, and the institute’s extensive network of partners reflects its commitment to ensuring that research translates into tangible impact. “IITA believes that its work should go beyond research to create impact,” he said. “We are fully aligned with you on creating impact, especially through engagement with the private sector.”
The visit concluded with the presentation of souvenirs to the EU delegation, a symbol of strengthening the partnership between the two institutions.
Contributed by Ochuwa Favour Daramola
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