Their Majesties, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, with the representatives of the Belgian community in the Democratic Republic of Congo, visited the President Olusegun Obasanjo, IITA Research Campus, during their visit to South Kivu on the recommendation of the President of the Republic, His Excellency, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.
Since 2005, the CGIAR’s Consortium for the Improvement of Livelihoods based on Agriculture in Central Africa (CIALCA) project, with the support of Belgian Development Cooperation, has enabled approximately 1 million small-scale Congolese farmers to benefit from new agricultural technologies, including new practices for protecting banana against diseases and pests and the introduction of fodder to improve milk quality, as part of agricultural resilience to climate change.With the support of other development partners, IITA also showcased its state-of-the-art agricultural technologies and research facilities and emphasized the promotion of commercial and competitive agriculture that creates wealth and jobs.In October 2019, President Tshisekedi Tshilombo inaugurated the IITA Biotechnology Laboratory, the first in Central Africa. He also supported the naming of the station after President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, in recognition of his mobilization support and relentless efforts in the talks for the return of peace in the DRC. The station further strengthened the relationship between IITA and the DRC government.
As a technical partner, IITA supports the DRC in transforming the Congolese agricultural sector through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda program (ATA-RDC), initiated by President Tshisekedi Tshilombo. The first phase will cost $171 million, with the Congolese government has disbursing counterpart funding of up to $22 million.
During this historic visit, King Phillippe said, “I am happy about what I am seeing here; it’s very impressive.”
The King and Queen of Belgium were accompanied by members of the Belgian government, including the Minister of Cooperation, Meryame Kitir. DRC government officials were also in attendance, including the Prime Minister of DRC, His Excellency Sama Lukonde, the Director General of Migration, DG Kashwantale, the Minister of Communication, His Excellency Muyaya Patrick, and the Governor of South Kivu, His Excellency Théo Kasingwabidje.
The innovative research approach proposed by IITA/CGIAR for the ATA-RDC project will help to transform DRC’s agriculture and benefit the people of DRC as well as Africas and the world.
Contributed by Michèle Kimpwene and Dolapo Ogunsola
Contributed by
Related news