Former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and IITA researcher, Akinwumi Adesina, was formally inaugurated as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on 1 September at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga graced the investiture ceremony as a mark of solidarity with the AfDB, which provides funds to IITA to support numerous projects. Recently, the Bank funded IITA’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase 1 (ATASP-1) project designed to help create additional income opportunities for many producers and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Nigeria, and provide about 120,000 jobs along the value chain of priority commodities with a particular focus on young men and women.
During his speech at the inauguration, the new President pledged to“exp and opportunities and unlock potentials―for countries, for women, for the youth, for the private sector, for the continent. Adesina also vowed to vigorously pursue and implement five priorities as AfDB President.They are: Light Up and Power Africa; Feed Africa; Integrate Africa; Industrialize Africa; and Improve quality of life for Africans.
As Minister of Agriculture, Adesina was instrumental in promoting research outputs from IITA especially in the cassava transformation project of Nigeria and also supporting the IITA Youth Agripreneurs to tackle youth unemployment in Africa. Adesina had commended the Institute for developing many improved technologies which have brought about transformation in the crop production systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, he cited IITA’s interventions on cassava, maize, soybean, and aflasafeTM, the biological control product for aflatoxin management, as pivotal in transforming economies across Africa.
IITA intends to continue to synergize efforts with the Bank towards achieving food security and lifting millions of Africans out of poverty.
For more information please contact:
Katherine Lopez, Head of Communication, IITA HQ, K.Lopez@cgiar.org
About IITA www.iita.org
IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
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