Winning or losing, we shall st and together. I am your rapporteur and you will arm me with your opinions so that when I speak to the Board, I will be speaking for you. This was the message of Dr Nteranya Sanginga during this year’s edition of Meet the DG—an annual event instituted by the DG as part of his policy on promoting openness since assuming office on 1 November 2011.
Dr Sanginga, on 17-18 November ,convened and met all member staff at the Conference Center in Ibadan to keep everyone updated on accomplishments, strategies, and vital reforms affecting the institution, and to aid effective communication at all levels.
“My mission here is to make you know what I, the Board, and Management know and also to relay your opinions to the Board during the meeting in Kampala on 25-28 November …I will come back to inform you of the resolutions at the end of that meeting.”
This year’s presentation was entitled Repositioning IITA for impact in Africa. In his talk, the DG noted that he was happy with the morale of staff and the favorable impacts that our research outputs are producing.
He further noted that the future looked bright for the institution and that through the decentralized Hubs, IITA’s presence and impact are established in the areas where they are located and the neighboring countries. “IITA has steadily climbed the ladder of success since 2011, rising from number 13 to the second place in terms of budget allocation …as DG, I have formulated a strategy to ensure impacts which are evidence-based at the farm levels. Our focus is not on the number of people who have adopted our technologies but on the resulting changes.”
The important future of IITA. IITA is creating businesses in different forms. The Business Incubation Platform and the IITA Youth Agripreneurs will be the areas where the jobs are going to be—the future of IITA. “I am proud of what our Agripreneurs have become. We started off with a modest budget and today, they have generated about $1.5 million. They have diversified into fish production with nine ponds and they are currently working to get a $160 million grant.”
What next. In his closing remarks, Dr Sanginga enjoined all to stay focused on the vision of IITA. He advised, “We all have to be responsible for something. Shun complacency at all levels, and be accountable for the outcomes of your specific tasks.”
For more information, please contact:
Andrea Gros, a.gros@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 nonprofit organization founded in 1967 and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.
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