IITA, US Soy renew partnership

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture has announced its renewed partnership with Soy Excellence Center, a United States soy programme to attain food security in Nigeria.

In a statement gleaned from its website posted on Friday when the US Soy programme recently paid a courtesy visit to its headquarters in Ibadan, IITA said the partnership plays a vital role in addressing food security in Nigeria and across Africa.

The IITA Director General and CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa, Dr Simeon Ehui, said, “The institute’s vibrant research history has consistently contributed to Africa’s agricultural and food systems. Its pivotal role in addressing food insecurity in Nigeria and across Africa has made it possible to build partnerships that have advanced its cause over five decades.

Speaking with the Soy Excellence Center team during the visit, Ehui said, “IITA-CGIAR has leveraged its proximity to Nigeria’s premier university to strategically foster collaborations with academic institutions and other partners while aiming for a food-secure continent.

“We need to consistently be on our toes to evolve and work with national programs to avoid duplication and overlapping activities. We need to partner and work together to ensure the goal of delivering technologies derived from our research,” DG Ehui said.

The Soy Excellence Center team led by Michael David, while speaking about the partnership said, “This significant milestone, which led to IITA becoming a host partner for the Soy Excellence Center in the soybean programme, has been instrumental in advancing soybean research and development.

While discussions centred on capacity building and potential areas for further research collaboration, DG Ehui expressed IITA-CGIAR’s openness to expanding partnerships and welcoming interested parties committed to achieving food security.

IITA-CGIAR Soybean Breeder Abush Abebe elaborated on IITA’s efforts in technical backstopping and developing improved soybean varieties tailored for tropical climates,” Abebe said IITA-CGIAR’s research is focused on improving food security and smallholder farmers’ livelihood. Our breeding efforts in soybean has contributed significantly to food systems on the continent,” he added.