Capacity Development Office (CDO)
À propos de l'unité
The Capacity Development Office (CDO) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is dedicated to developing and sharing capacities across agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. We design and deliver innovative programs and learning opportunities that equip our clients with skills and knowledge to improve their contributions in Africa’s agri-food sector. We also strengthen IITA’s internal capacity to deliver on its mandate, equip Nigerian youth with cutting-edge agricultural knowledge, and support farming communities — particularly women — across Nigeria and Africa. Through strategic partnerships with various stakeholders, CDO drives and supports impactful projects that strengthen individual and institutional capacities in agri-food systems across IITA’s countries of intervention.
Mission
IITA a Center of Excellence for Capacity Development in Research for Development, Delivery and Scaling in African Agriculture.
Mission
IITA a Center of Excellence for Capacity Development in Research for Development, Delivery and Scaling in African Agriculture.
Ce que nous faisons
Training Courses
From virtual classrooms to hands-on workshops, we deliver tailored training courses to a diverse range of clients, including national agricultural research, extension and Education systems (NAREES), public and private sector organizations, NGOs, associations, and training providers. Our flexible learning experiences — available in virtual, physical, and hybrid formats — are designed to meet clients where they are, on both a business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) basis.
Internship & Volunteering Program
As part of IITA’s commitment to building the capacity of young people, the CDO manages the placement and follow-up of interns and volunteers across the institute. Interns are students currently enrolled in or freshly graduated from universities and academic institutions across Africa and beyond, seeking hands-on work experience or looking to fulfill degree requirements. Volunteers are individuals eager to contribute and gain professional experience at IITA, with or without stipends or in-kind benefits.
Staff Development
The Learning & Development (L&D) sub-unit of CDO provides staff development opportunities that help IITA employees grow and excel in their roles. Through regular needs assessments, the sub-unit delivers targeted programs including the annual Talent Grant for National Staff, open and free training courses, and partnerships with external training providers offering free and discounted learning opportunities.
Graduate Research Fellowship and Alumni Program
We coordinate a Graduate Research Fellowship Program in which IITA scientists co-supervise master’s and PhD students from universities across Africa and beyond, building their research competencies and contributing to the development of agricultural science on the continent. The program promotes excellence, mentorship, and inclusive capacity development, with a strong commitment to supporting young women in agricultural research. Fellows who complete their research theses join a growing Alumni network, staying connected long after their fellowship ends.
Soutien au projet
A. Capacity Development Support for Internal Units: CDO partners with other IITA units to design and implement effective capacity development activities, offering a range of services including training material development, curriculum design, needs assessments, evaluations, and other practical tools.
B. External Partnerships & Collaborations: CDO actively develops and nurtures partnerships with universities, advanced research institutes, other CGIAR centers, public and private sector organizations, NGOs, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to co-design and co-implement joint capacity strengthening projects across IITA’s countries of intervention.
C. CDO works closely with the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator through joint activities and initiatives.
Proposal Development
We develop high-quality proposals for capacity development initiatives, helping researchers, development practitioners, and institutions translate ideas into compelling funding proposals. Whether capacity development is the core of a project or a strategic component within a broader research or development program, we provide the technical expertise and strategic guidance needed to design evidence-based proposals that align with donor priorities, demonstrate impact, and position projects for success.
Projets
CapSha Pilots (2026)
Through the CGIAR Capacity Sharing Accelerator (CapSha) Program, the Capacity Development Office (CDO) at IITA is implementing three pilot initiatives that test innovative approaches to strengthening research capacity, knowledge sharing, and institutional partnerships. Running from July to December 2026, these pilots are generating practical evidence on scalable capacity development models that can be adapted across CGIAR Centres and partner institutions.
Strengthening Digital Breeding Capacity Across CGIAR and NARES Partners
This is the implementation of a regional pilot that is strengthening the capacity of National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania to adopt the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) and Bioflow, CGIAR’s recommended platforms for digital breeding data management and analytics. Through co-designed training, hands-on workshops, and structured remote mentoring, the pilot is equipping researchers and technical staff with practical skills to improve breeding data management, standardize decision making, and strengthen collaboration across CGIAR and national breeding programs.
Beyond technical training, the pilot is generating evidence on effective capacity-sharing approaches for digital agriculture by assessing the impact of blended learning, mentoring, and inclusive participation. The resulting training curriculum, learning resources, and community of practice are expected to support the wider adoption of digital breeding systems across additional crops and partner institutions throughout Africa.
Sudan Digital Agriculture and Food Safety Academy
Le Sudan Digital Agriculture and Food Safety Academy is an innovative public-private partnership between IITA, UNIDO, CTC, and CGIAR partners that is expanding access to agricultural knowledge in conflict-affected communities. The pilot is transforming existing training materials into an interactive digital learning platform covering food safety, climate-smart agriculture, agronomy, plant health, and postharvest management for farmers, extension workers, processors, and agribusinesses across Sudan.
Running from July to December 2026, the pilot is evaluating how hybrid digital and face-to-face learning approaches can improve knowledge access for women, youth, and underserved communities while providing evidence for sustainable capacity development in fragile contexts. The Academy is expected to provide a scalable model that can be adapted across crops, countries, and development programs throughout the CGIAR system.
Manuscript Anchored Mentorship for Early Career Researchers
A mentorship pilot that is strengthening scientific writing and research capacity among IITA’s Early Career Researchers through a structured, manuscript-driven mentoring program. Delivered in partnership with the West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, the initiative pairs early-career researchers with experienced mentors over a 10-week hybrid program combining virtual mentoring with an intensive in-person writing session.
The pilot is assessing how a proven mentorship model can be adapted from an academic environment to a research-for-development institution while generating evidence on mentorship effectiveness, manuscript completion, researcher confidence, and career development. The lessons emerging from the pilot will inform a scalable mentoring framework that can be adopted across IITA, CGIAR Centres, and partner institutions to strengthen the next generation of African researchers.
NFWP (2024 - 2026)
Le Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) is a flagship initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, supported by the Banque mondiale, to improve the livelihoods of women by strengthening their economic empowerment through access to sustainable livelihood opportunities, productive assets, skills development, and collective enterprise development. As part of the project’s implementation, the Institut International d'Agriculture Tropicale (IIAT) provided technical assistance from January 2024 to March 2026 to support women’s livelihood collectives across selected agricultural value chains by introducing gender-responsive technologies, strengthening technical capacities, and improving the productivity and competitiveness of women-led enterprises.
IITA’s intervention covered six states—Abia, Akwa Ibom, Kebbi, Niger, Ogun, and Taraba—supporting women engaged in rice, cassava, groundnut, oil palm, maize, shea butter, and dairy value chains. The technical assistance focused on establishing and strengthening women-led collective enterprises through technology assessments, demonstration trials, capacity-development programs, processing equipment recommendations, exposure visits, technical backstopping, and the promotion of gender-friendly production and processing technologies that reduce drudgery while improving productivity, product quality, and profitability.
Working closely with the respective State Project Coordinating Units (SPCUs), IITA also developed site readiness assessment tools, recommended appropriate processing technologies, trained women on improved production and processing practices, food safety, business management, equipment operation and maintenance, regulatory compliance, environmental management, and enterprise development. Continuous field backstopping and performance assessments ensured that women’s collectives sustained the adoption of improved technologies and strengthened their operational performance across the supported value chains.
Through these interventions, the project significantly strengthened the technical capacity of women-led enterprises, improved the adoption of modern processing technologies, enhanced product quality and business performance, and demonstrated that sustained technical support, appropriate technologies, and market-oriented capacity development are essential to building resilient women-owned agribusinesses. The project also laid a stronger foundation for increased productivity, enterprise growth, and improved livelihoods for women across the participating states.
WATEA (2023 - 2025)
Le Women in Agricultural Technical Education and Apprenticeship in Nigeria (WATEA) project was a two-year flagship initiative implemented by the Institut International d'Agriculture Tropicale (IIAT) through its Capacity Development Office (CDO) from 2023 to 2025 to strengthen Nigeria’s Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) system while increasing the participation of young women in agriculture. Funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs through the Embassy of France in Nigeria, the project sought to bridge the gap between agricultural training institutions and the labour market by equipping young people, particularly women, with industry-relevant technical and entrepreneurial skills.
WATEA aimed to improve the employability and entrepreneurial potential of 3,000 Nigerian youths, at least 80% of whom were women, by modernizing Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) through competency-based, industry-driven curricula aligned with agroecology, biodiversity, and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. The project strengthened apprenticeship systems, institutionalized partnerships between technical institutions and agribusinesses, promoted gender-responsive learning environments, and supported women-led agribusinesses through incubation, mentoring, and business development initiatives to facilitate the successful transition of young women into the agricultural workforce.
Working closely with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), state governments, agribusinesses, private sector partners, and French institutions, WATEA enhanced the capacity of technical institutions through curriculum development, pedagogical support, and knowledge exchange initiatives. These included a study visit by Nigerian heads of partner institutions to France as well as a professional development workshops facilitated by French agricultural education specialists.
The project was implemented across six Nigerian states—Anambra, Enugu, Jigawa, Kano, Kwara, and Oyo—in partnership with key agricultural and technical education institutions, including:
Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta (ABCOAD) – Kano State
Anambra State Polytechnic (ANSPOLY) – Anambra State
Binyaminu Usman Polytechnic (BUPOLY) – Jigawa State
Enugu State Polytechnic (ESPOLY) – Enugu State
Kwara State Polytechnic – Kwara State
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) et
Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH) – Oyo State