{"id":18331,"date":"2026-06-20T13:04:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/yoage-project-team-holds-annual-review-meeting-in-nairobi\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:49:36","slug":"yoage-project-team-holds-annual-review-meeting-in-nairobi","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/yoage-project-team-holds-annual-review-meeting-in-nairobi\/","title":{"rendered":"YOAGE project team holds annual review meeting in Nairobi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33669\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33669\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33669 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/YOAGE-team-members.png\" alt=\"YOAGE team members during the annual review meeting\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">YOAGE team members during the annual review meeting<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With one successful year down, the Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE) project team convened in Nairobi for its annual review meeting. The gathering brought together colleagues from <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgiar.org\/\">CGIAR<\/a> and project partners from Pairwise, USA, to assess the progress made and chart the path forward. Dr Nic Bate, Senior Program Officer from the Gates Foundation, also joined in to listen to the milestones achieved so far and advise on future planning, aligning with the foundation\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The meeting provided an opportunity for the team to present updates on ongoing work, exchange insights on technical progress, and strengthen collaborative efforts between the teams. It also featured a visit to IITA\u2019s biotechnology facilities in Nairobi, where participants viewed ongoing gene editing research and interacted with the scientists behind the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33670\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33670\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33670 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pairwise-scientists.png\" alt=\"Pairwise scientists and donor representative in the IITA Gene Editing Lab (with Jeneffer) and Greenhouse (with Dr Jaindra Tripathi).\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pairwise scientists and donor representative in the IITA Gene Editing Lab with Jeneffer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Leena Tripathi, IITA\u2019s Director for Eastern Africa Hub and Leader of the Biotechnology Program, expressed pride in the team\u2019s accomplishments. \u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see how far we\u2019ve come in just one year. The commitment from all the team members of IITA and Pairwise has been incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cBeyond the science, this project is about creating tangible solutions that will make yam farming more productive and sustainable for African farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33694\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33694\" style=\"width: 193px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33694\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/YOAGE-p2b-169x300.jpg\" alt=\"Pairwise scientists and donor representative in the IITA Greenhouse with Dr Jaindra Tripathi\" width=\"193\" height=\"343\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33694\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pairwise scientists and donor representative in the IITA Greenhouse with Dr Jaindra Tripathi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Echoing her sentiments, Dr Bate from the Gates Foundation commended the collaboration and results so far. \u201cThis project is a great example of how partnerships can accelerate innovation,\u201d he said. \u201cThe progress made in such a short time shows the power of combining world-class science with a shared vision for impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Representing Pairwise, Dr Lolita Mathew, Associate Director of the Cherry Program, noted the importance of collaboration in driving innovation. \u201cWorking with IITA on the YOAGE project has been an inspiring journey; it\u2019s a true partnership that brings together diverse expertise to make science work for farmers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the project steps confidently into its second year, the team feels even more inspired and ready to push the boundaries to deliver tangible benefits for Africa\u2019s yam farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Rose-Harriet Okech<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With one successful year down, the Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE) project team convened in Nairobi for its annual review meeting<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":18332,"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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