Africa RISING West
Africa: Year 1 overview
Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon (IITA)
Africa RISING West Africa Review and
Planning Meeting Tamale, Ghana, 23-25
October 2012

The Start
 Oct. 2011: Brain storming meeting; agreement on
countries and regions: UER, UWR, NR [Ghana], Sikasso
[Mali]; agreement on key farming systems
 Nov./Dec. 2011: Development of Concept Note
3 farming systems: sorghum-, maize-, rice-based
 Jan. 2012: Inception workshop Tamale:
+/- agreement on objectives, outcomes, outputs;
confirmation of regions and farming systems;
need for a thorough research framework;
fast track workplan building on existing work to produce results by
September 2012

Next steps
 Feb. 2012: First disbursement of funds to AfricaRice and
ICRISAT; recruitment of systems agronomist; in ESA
decision on program approach
 March: Stakeholder workshop for site selection in Ghana
4 districts/region,
5 communities/district
 April 2012: set up of Project office in Tamale; recruitment
of admin staff;


 May: Community analysis in Ghana; Community Action
Plan
District stratification and characterization
(rainfall, elevation, population, market access) by IFPRI
 June 2012: development and summission of joint
workplan; sub-agreements with partners; disbursement of
funds
 Continuously: Strategic Program documents developed

Sub-Agreements
Institution Amount
ILRI $195,000
UDS $25,000
WIUC $32,000
SARI $80,000
KNUST $16,000
IWMI $100,000
AVRDC $200,688
ICRISAT $754,490
AfricaRice $299,822

Research framework
 Generic to be applicable across all three Africa RISING
regions
 flexible to allow site specific adaptation
 Program Research Framework Task Force initiated by Jerry
Glover, USAID, and coordinated CIMMYT
 Workshop in July in Ibadan, Nigeria, to advance draft
 Completed, presented later

M&E Plan
 Led by IFPRI
 Workshop in Addis Ababa in September
 Requires finalization of site selection process and
research plan
 Status presented later

Program Management Structure

WA Steering Committee ToR
 Provides advice and oversight on Project activities
 Provides science guidance to Project implementers to ensure conformity
with Program Research Framework and Program Objectives
 Guides Project planning and activities
 Approves annual Project workplan and budget
 Oversees coordination between project components and partners
 Liaises with MET to oversee M&E; cc PCT on all reporting
 Keeps PCT informed of activities via the Project Coordinator
 Reviews and makes suggestions to Project Coordinator on semiannual
technical progress reports to USAID
 Plans yearly stakeholder meetings with support from Program
Communications Team.
 Decisions made by consensus.
 Meets annually in personal and virtually as called by the Chair.

Membership
 Chair: IITA (R. Asiedu, Regional Director West Africa)
 Project Coordinator, serves as Secretary (I. Hoeschle-
Zeledon)
 Project Chief Scientist (A. Larbi, IITA)
 Project M&E Lead (IFPRI)
 Project Communications Lead (K. Lopez, IITA)
 Research partners: CGIAR (1 rotational [ICRISAT]),
CORAF (E. Asiedu), CSIR (A. Salifu), AGRA (K. Makinde)
 USAID Activity Manager (J. Glover)

Other strategic documents
 Communication Strategy and Tools
wiki page, website , image and document repository
 Program Logframe
 Program Document: assembly of all strategic documents
 program context
 purpose, objectives, outcomes
 guiding principles and conceptual framework
 research design
 logframe
 M&E plan
 communication strategy
 management structure

17 August: Visit US Congressional Staff
 to inspect bilateral and multilateral food security programs in
northern Ghana
 met by SARI Director and Africa RISING chief scientist
 visit of demonstration trails of drought and Striga tolerant
maize; rice seed multiplication and varietal trials
 interactions with farmers

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net