A high-level delegation from the Union of Comoros visited IITA–CGIAR from 20 to 24 November, to explore areas of deeper collaboration in agricultural research, innovation, and capacity development. The delegation, led by the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Handicraft, Dr Daniel Ali Bandar, included senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, INRAPE, DNSAE, FSRP, and the Government Secretariat.
During the welcome session, IITA Director General, Dr Simeon Ehui, expressed his honor in receiving the delegation and emphasized the importance of partnerships in achieving food sovereignty and improving livelihoods across Africa. He highlighted IITA’s strong achievements in scaling agricultural innovations, including the delivery of digital agriculture solutions, the improvement of crop varieties, and the establishment of scalable seed systems. Dr Ehui reaffirmed that IITA is committed to listening, co-consulting, and co-developing solutions that respond directly to the Comoros’ national priorities.
In his remarks, Minister Bandar underscored the critical role agriculture plays in Comoros’ economy and food system. He outlined three top priorities: increasing production, empowering youth and women in agriculture, and developing competitive value chains—particularly for key crops such as cassava, banana, and yam, as well as important export crops such as cloves, vanilla, ylang-ylang, and ginger. He highlighted new national policies to mobilize unused lands for productive agriculture, ensuring that opportunities are open to young agripreneurs and communities.
“Our ambition is to structurally transform Comorian agriculture,” the Minister said during interviews. “We must adopt new technologies to increase yields without expanding land area. We look to IITA’s expertise in plant health, high-performing varieties, mechanization, and digital tools to support this transformation.”
Presentations and field tours introduced the delegation to IITA innovations relevant to their needs, including banana disease management, Seed Tracker for traceability and certification, AKILIMO for smart agronomy recommendations, and technologies for cassava processing and value addition. Delegates also toured the laboratories at the Germplasm Health, Virology & Diagnostics unit and the Genetic Resources Center, as well as the IITA Farm Management and screenhouse facilities.
The mission concluded with a feedback session, an agreement on priority collaboration areas, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that binds the partnership engagement for the delivery of agricultural solutions to both parties. Looking ahead, Minister Bandar expressed optimism that the impact of this visit will be visible in the short to medium term, through strengthened institutions, improved farmer services, and healthier seed systems.
He concluded by applauding the warm welcome and professionalism of the IITA team. He acknowledged, “We felt at home here. We arrived as guests but were embraced as partners. We are confident that together, we will achieve meaningful transformation for the Comorian people.”
Contributed by Folake Oduntan
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