{"id":16614,"date":"2026-06-20T12:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/southern-africa-region-celebrates-iitas-golden-jubilee\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:10:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:10:50","slug":"southern-africa-region-celebrates-iitas-golden-jubilee","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/southern-africa-region-celebrates-iitas-golden-jubilee\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Africa Region celebrates IITA\u2019s Golden Jubilee"},"content":{"rendered":"As a complementary event to the SA Hub retreat, regional staff also celebrated IITA\u2019s 50th founding anniversary with a cocktail on 21 August at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge, fronting the scenic Zambezi River.\n\nAt the anniversary cocktail, staff raised a toast to IITA on its Golden Jubilee, with some delivering congratulatory messages. A ceremonial 50th anniversary cake-cutting was also held to commemorate the event.\n
\n\n\"Picture<\/a>\n

Dr Chikoye addressing SARAH staff during the IITA@50 cocktail celebration.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nSteve Boahen, Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa, recounted how he started with IITA and how he witnessed the growth of the region. \u201cI still remember vividly when I was first hired by IITA as a scientist based in Mozambique about 12 years ago. We were very few back then, and we were housed in a squalid office in downtown Nampula.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen just last month, we inaugurated our brand new research station in Nampula. It\u2019s amazing how the station\u2014and the Hub\u2014has grown. With this, I congratulate IITA, and every member of this great institute, on our 50th anniversary. May we continue to grow and prosper!\u201d\n\nEngr Oyedeji Musendeeq, based at IITA-HQ and who has been with the institute for more than 20 years, had this to say: \u201cI would like to thank SARAH, particularly Dr Chikoye, for inviting me to participate in your retreat. It is my extreme honor to also be a part of your celebration of IITA\u2019s 50th birthday. All I could say is that I am very, very impressed by the camaraderie of the SARAH staff, which I think represents the spirit of staff across IITA.\u201d\n

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IITA\u2019s 50th birthday cake during the SA region\u2019s celebration of the institute\u2019s Golden Jubilee at the SARAH Retreat cocktails.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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SARAH staff enjoying the festivities of IITA50 celebration in Livingstone.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
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Raising a glass (or two): SARAH staff raising a toast to IITA on its 50th anniversary.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\u201cI therefore raise a glass to you, to us, and to IITA. Congratulations on our Golden Jubilee!\u201d he exclaimed.\n\n\u201cI am deeply honored to be hosting this year\u2019s retreat, and the region\u2019s celebration of IITA\u2019s 50th founding anniversary, on behalf of SARAH,\u201d said Chikoye. \u201cI believe that the team spirit shown here tonight is what has maintained IITA through these years\u2014through all the ups and downs, and successes and challenges.\u201d\n\n\u201cI see all of us in white\u2014equals, with the common vision of making IITA successful as it was originally founded to be. It reminds me of when we were still in primary school. Come to think of it, we are all still students\u2014continuing to learn of how we could make Africa a better place through research,\u201d he added.\n\n\u201cLet us all raise our glasses to IITA\u2019s 50th birthday. Here\u2019s looking forward to another 50 years of great work!\u201d he concluded.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a complementary event to the SA Hub retreat, regional staff also celebrated IITA\u2019s 50th founding anniversary with a cocktail on 21 August at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge, fronting the scenic Zambezi River.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":16615,"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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