In the last 3 years IITA has grown tremendously. It has seen nearly a doubling of its staff and tripling of its budget. This has been a result of the Institute’s drive to motivate and invest in its people, facilities, and partnerships. However, the staff should not rest on their laurels as there are still challenges ahead as IITA strives to deliver on its new refreshed strategy and to face further restructuring of the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs).
This was the focus of a talk by Dr Nteranya Sanginga. IITA’s DG, to all the Institute’s staff in Tanzania. The DG was in the country to recruit the Head of Advocacy and Resource Mobilization and, in line with his principle of openness and transparency, used the opportunity to brief staff on the latest developments and share his future plans for the Institute.
The DG briefed the staff on the outcomes of the recent Board meeting held in Ug anda, 23-26 November, where he presented the Institute’s achievements in the last 3 years under his leadership and also on his plans for the next 3 years.
“IITA cannot function without its people,” he said. “They are one of our most important assets. In 2 years we were able to double our budget. We also looked into the promotion of staff…However, salary alone is not enough. So in addition we strengthened our capacity building activities. We also started a Talent Grant program that gives people the opportunity to undertake courses they are interested in and which are useful to the institute” he said.
While IITA had taken big strides in many areas including increasing its budget from US$47 million to 128 million, between 2011 and 2015, there are areas for improvement. For example, the project execution level was low, averaging 84%. This, he said, was denying the Institute much-needed income in terms of charging overheads—around US$10–15 million annually.
“In 2015, major decisions will be made on the future of the CRPs. We need to position IITA very well and demonstrate where we are strong. For example, we are very strong in West Africa. In Tanzania, we can argue it is going to be the bread basket of Africa.”
In his visit the DG was accompanied by Dr Ken Dashiell, the Deputy Director General for Partnership and Capacity Development; Dr Kristina Roing de Nowina, Proposal Development Coordinator; Toyin Oke, Head of Resource Mobilization, Protocol and External Liaison; and Lucy Omidiran, Human Resources Manager.
Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :
Andrea Gros, a.gros@cgiar.org
À propos de l'IITA, www.iita.org
L'IITA est l'un des principaux partenaires de recherche au monde pour trouver des solutions à la faim, à la malnutrition et à la pauvreté. Son approche primée de recherche pour le développement (R4D) répond aux besoins de développement des pays tropicaux. L'IITA travaille avec des partenaires pour améliorer la qualité et la productivité des cultures, réduire les risques pour les producteurs et les consommateurs, et générer de la richesse à partir de l'agriculture. L'IITA est une organisation à but non lucratif fondée en 1967 et dirigée par un conseil d'administration. L'IITA travaille sur les cultures suivantes : le niébé, le soja, la banane/banane plantain, l'igname, le manioc et le maïs. L'IITA est membre du CGIAR, un partenariat mondial de recherche agricole pour un avenir alimentaire sûr.
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