{"id":12841,"date":"2026-06-20T12:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/president-of-the-republic-of-benin-volunteers-to-endorse-iita-initiative\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:25:24","slug":"president-of-the-republic-of-benin-volunteers-to-endorse-iita-initiative","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/president-of-the-republic-of-benin-volunteers-to-endorse-iita-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"President of the Republic of Benin volunteers to endorse IITA initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>An international center in Benin proposed to serve as a research  and training platform on biorisks associated with climate change<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His Excellency Mr Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, will be promoting an initiative of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in addressing biorisks associated with climate change to a broad audience during the upcoming COP 22 in Morocco this November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_11825\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11825\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newint.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/image_gallery-35.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11825\" src=\"http:\/\/newint.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/image_gallery-35-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of DG Nteranya Sanginga (right) is welcomed by the President of the Republic of Benin, H.E. Patrice Talon.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11825\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">DG Nteranya Sanginga (right) is welcomed by the President of the Republic of Benin, H.E. Patrice Talon.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The President volunteered to champion this cause on 11 October, when a delegation from IITA headed by Director General <a title=\"Visit DG Nteranya Sanginga profile page on the IITA website\" href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/sanginga-nteranya-e\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nteranya Sanginga<\/a>, visited him in Benin. This is the first time ever that an IITA DG has been received by a Benin President in the station\u2019s 32 years of existence. Dr Sanginga was introduced to the Presidential Cabinet by the Benin Minister of Agriculture, Livestock  and Fishing, Dr Delphin Koud ande,  and the Director General of the National Agricultural Research Institute (INRAB), Dr Patrice Adegbola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This visit occurred in the framework of the regional workshop \u201cOne-health approach for mitigating biorisks in West Africa under a climate change scenario\u201d that took place at the IITA Station in Benin under the umbrella of<a title=\"Visit the CORAF\/WECARD website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.coraf.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CORAF\/WECARD<\/a> on 11-13 October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Discussions between the Head of State  and DG Sanginga revolved around the creation of an international center in Benin that would serve as a research  and training platform dealing with biorisks associated with climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the IITA-hosted think tank style workshop in Cotonou, the participants explored  and developed the idea of a joint, collaborative platform \u2013 an international center for research  and capacity development for West Africa \u2013 around the management of biorisks associated with climate change, using the \u2018one health concept\u2019 (plant, animal, environmental  and human health aspects related to agriculture).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The participants of this workshop consisted of representatives from a broad range of institutions such as AfricaRice, Centre for Agriculture  and Biosciences International (CABI), Centre b\u00e9ninois de la recherche scientifique et technique (CBRST), French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), Centre International de Recherche-Developpement Sur l&#8217;Elevage en Zone Subhumide (CIRDES), West  and Central African Council for Agricultural Research  and Development (CORAF\/WECARD), CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change Agriculture  and Food Security (CCAFS), Direction Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (DNRST), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (|FARA), International Centre of Insect Physiology  and Ecology (icipe), Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du B\u00e9nin (INRAB), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), UAC, UAK, University of Ghana, World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), West African Science Service Center on Climate Change  and Adapted L and Use (WASCAL), CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition  and Health (A4NH),  and Michigan State University\/Legume Innovation Lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They showed keen interest, enthusiasm,  and support for this initiative throughout the workshop,  and discussed mechanisms for collaboration  and institutional commitment,  and developed concrete ideas  and concept notes, as a basis for funding that can add to  and leverage already existing initiatives  and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussions during this workshop led to the establishment of a follow-up team,  and a roadmap to implement key preliminary steps in the near future to keep the momentum going for this initiative. At the closing plenary session, Dr Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of FARA, shared his vision for the center  and expressed his full support to this initiative. Finally, the meeting was closed by a tribute to the organizers made by the director of INRAB, on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Agriculture of Benin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u00c0 propos de l'IITA<\/strong> www.iita.org<br>The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a non-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa\u2019s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty,  and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food  and nutrition security, increase employment,  and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contact:<\/strong> Katherine Lopez, Head of Communication, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture <a title=\"Send an email to Katherine Lopez\">k.lopez@cgiar.org<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>His Excellency Mr Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, will be promoting an initiative of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in addressing biorisks associated with climate change to a broad audience during the upcoming COP 22 in Morocco this November.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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