{"id":14367,"date":"2026-06-20T12:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/agriculture-transformation-in-drc-baba-olusegun-obasanjo-visits-drc-president-felix-antoine-tshisekedi-tshilombo\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:28:28","slug":"agriculture-transformation-in-drc-baba-olusegun-obasanjo-visits-drc-president-felix-antoine-tshisekedi-tshilombo","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/agriculture-transformation-in-drc-baba-olusegun-obasanjo-visits-drc-president-felix-antoine-tshisekedi-tshilombo\/","title":{"rendered":"Agriculture Transformation in DRC: \u201cBaba\u201d Olusegun Obasanjo visits DRC President F\u00e9lix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Nigerian President and <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a> Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was the guest of Democratic Republic of Congo President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi from 22 August to 24 August 2022, at the presidential palace \u201cCit\u00e9 de l\u2019OUA\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25093 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Presidents-Obasanjo-and-Felix-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" \/>The two discussed the \u201cAgenda de la Transformation Agricole de la R\u00e9publique D\u00e9mocratique du Congo\u201d (ATA-RDC) program initiated by President Tshisekedi under the agriculture ministry with technical support from IITA and the African Agriculture Leadership Institute (AALI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former President Obasanjo said the purpose of his visit was to congratulate the President in person for his accession to the presidency of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and discuss the security problems in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He added that the efforts provided in the agricultural sector would not have positive results if the country continued to be at war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accompanied by IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga, former President Obasanjo also visited one of the Institute\u2019s partners, <em>Centre de Recherche en Agrimuculture<\/em> (CERAGRU), which produces healthy cassava seedlings using the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponic (SAH Ex-Vitro) technology as part of ATA-RDC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25088 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Group-photograph-with-president-Olusegun.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/>The ATA-RDC program emphasizes the seed sector, the starting point for improving production. The vision is to set up a guaranteed seed system with available, certified, and improved seeds with high yield potential. The cassava stems have proven to be resistant to disease, drought, and the negative effects of climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After he visited the CERAGRU cassava seed rapid multiplication greenhouse, Chief Obasanjo said that what he had observed at CERAGRU inspired him with investment ideas in Nigeria. It should be recalled that the former President is one of the economic operators of cassava in Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The politician and businessman greatly appreciated the development of the ATA-DRC Program in the agricultural transformation of the DRC and in creating wealth, jobs, and food security within the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Mich\u00e8le Kimpwene<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Nigerian President and IITA Goodwill Ambassador, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was the guest of Democratic Republic of Congo President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi from 22 August to 24 August 2022, at the presidential palace \u201cCit\u00e9 de l\u2019OUA\u201d.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":14368,"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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