{"id":18489,"date":"2026-06-20T13:05:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/ui-and-iita-leadership-explore-stronger-institutional-collaboration\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:46:21","slug":"ui-and-iita-leadership-explore-stronger-institutional-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/ui-and-iita-leadership-explore-stronger-institutional-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"UI and IITA leadership explore stronger institutional collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_34189\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34189\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IITA-and-UI-representatives-discussing.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-34189\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IITA-and-UI-representatives-discussing.png\" alt=\"IITA and UI representatives discussing ways to strengthening collaboration between the two institutions.\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">IITA and UI representatives discussing ways to strengthening collaboration between the two institutions.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 6 February, the Vice Chancellor of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ui.edu.ng\/\">University of Ibadan (UI)<\/a>, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, led a delegation to <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u2019s Headquarters for a strategic engagement to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions. The visit built on their long-standing relationship and focused on exploring structured partnerships that could enhance research delivery, capacity development, and development impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcoming the delegation, IITA Director General,<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/simeon-ehui\/\"> Dr Sim\u00e9on Ehui<\/a>, described the partnership between IITA and UI as both historic and special. He noted that IITA-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgiar.org\/\">CGIAR<\/a> is privileged to work closely with Nigerian universities and training institutions, emphasizing that the timing of the visit was particularly significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_34190\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34190\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/The-IITA-team-with-the-UI-delegation.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-34190\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/The-IITA-team-with-the-UI-delegation.png\" alt=\"The IITA team with the UI delegation.\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The IITA team with the UI delegation.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to him, stronger coordination in research and development is critical to addressing major challenges such as food insecurity and youth unemployment, which continue to affect Nigeria and the wider African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr Ehui stressed the importance of aligning academic research with development delivery, noting that effective partnerships between universities and research institutes are essential for translating scientific innovations into practical solutions for farmers and communities. \u201cIITA is proud to be part of the ecosystem that promotes research and delivery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery, <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/iita-staff\/abdoulaye-tahirou\/\">Tahirou Abdoulaye<\/a>, provided an overview of IITA\u2019s value propositions and strategic focus. He explained that IITA operates within a network of 30 CGIAR centers and is committed to developing solutions that improve efficiency across agricultural value chains. He highlighted Nutrition and Health, alongside Climate Adaptation, as two major thematic areas guiding IITA\u2019s research and development agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his remarks, Professor Adebowale expressed pride that nearly 75 percent of the participants at the meeting were alumni of the University of Ibadan, reflecting the strong institutional linkages between UI and IITA. He commended IITA for its far-reaching impact across Africa and noted that the presence of more institutions with similar mandates would significantly deepen grassroots engagement and accelerate agricultural transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To further strengthen collaboration, the Vice Chancellor proposed three strategic pillars: integrating research and postgraduate training; institutional capacity-building; and infrastructure sharing, and the commercialization of research outputs with a strong focus on community impact. He emphasized that structured partnerships in these areas would create mutual benefits and enhance the relevance of academic research to societal needs. \u201cUI is ready, willing, and eager to be IITA\u2019s dynamic partner. Let us write the next chapter together for agricultural transformation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding to the proposals, Dr Ehui welcomed the suggested pillars and underscored the need to formalize and deepen collaboration between both institutions. He also proposed extending the partnership to include collaboration between the Communication Offices of UI and IITA to improve visibility and showcase joint research achievements and development outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visit concluded with a shared commitment to advancing a more coordinated and impactful partnership that leverages the strengths of both institutions to drive agricultural innovation and sustainable development in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contribu\u00e9 par Ochuwa Favour Daramola<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 6 February, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, led a delegation to IITA\u2019s Headquarters for a strategic engagement<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":18490,"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 center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[2816],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[61],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[204],"class_list":["post-18489","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-food-securitypartnershipresearch4delivery","location-nigeria","hub-western-africa","item-year-204"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/18489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-item"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/18489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19403,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/18489\/revisions\/19403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"science-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/science-area?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"hub","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"crop","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/crop?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"impact-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact-areas?post=18489"},{"taxonomy":"item-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/item-year?post=18489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}