The document discusses three new regional initiatives by IITA in West Africa: 1. The Cotonou Center for climate change and biotic stresses, a regional center in Benin for research and training. 2. IITA's Youth Agripreneurs program to train young graduates in entrepreneurial agriculture. 3. IITA's Business Incubation Platform (BIP) which helps transition research products like seed, inoculants, and biocontrol agents to the private sector.

1. Regional approach to ag research
IITA – facts & figures
IITA in West Africa
3 new regional initiatives

2. IITA – facts & figures

3. Project sites

4. Regional hubs

6. Sahelian Drylands
Cereal, cowpea and livestock
integration
Cross-cutting
High value crops
Vegetables, fruit, cocoa
Humid Forest
Cassava, yam, banana/plantain in
WA and CA lowland
Cassava expansion in EA and SA
Humid Forest
Cassava, yam, banana/plantain in
WA and CA lowland
Cassava expansion in EA and SA
Mid-altitude Savanna
Banana cropping systems
Mid-altitude Savanna
Banana cropping systems
Sahelian Drylands
Cereal, cowpea and livestock
integration
Moist Savanna
Diversified maize-legume
systems
Moist Savanna
Diversified maize-legume
systems
Cross-cutting
High value crops
Vegetables, fruit, cocoa
IITA strategic
entry points

7. Breeding programs

8. 1100 employees
180 scientists
NRM Biotech Social science Plant production

9. Humidtropics (28%)
CRP portfolio
A4NH (9%)
Grain Legumes
(10%)
CCAFS (3%) Genebanks (1%)
WLE (6%)
PIM (7%)
RTB (26%) MAIZE (10%)
W12 + W3/bilateral = 103 million USD
W12 = 24 million USD

10. IITA in West Africa

11. West Africa hub and HQ
Ibadan, Nigeria

12. Regional characteristics
 Agriculture as major source of livelihood
 Aged small-holder farmers relying on rain-fed production
 Weak seed and planting material sector
 Low levels of agro-input supply and use
 Limited mechanization
 Limited national investment in agriculture and ag research
 Weak extension systems
 Climate variability and climate change

13. Agroecological zones

14. Entry points
Sahelian Drylands
Cereal, cowpea and livestock
integration
Sahelian Drylands
Cereal, cowpea and livestock
integration
Moist Savanna
Diversified maize-legume
systems
Moist Savanna
Diversified maize-legume
systems
Humid Forest
Cassava, yam, banana/plantain in
WA and CA lowland
Cassava expansion in EA and SA
Humid Forest
Cassava, yam, banana/plantain in
WA and CA lowland
Cassava expansion in EA and SA
Cross-cutting
High value crops
Vegetables, fruit, cocoa
Cross-cutting
High value crops
Vegetables, fruit, cocoa

15. Presence on the ground

16. Humidtropics WA action area
Tier 1

17. Africa RISING (USAID)
Tier 2
Humidtropics WA action area
Tier 1

18. Institutional Environment
CGIAR centers
Private sector agencies
NARS and Universities
Farmers’ organizations e.g. FONG, AFAN, ROPPA
NGOs: e.g. Africare, Catholic Relief Services, SNV, WVI
Regional/sub-regional agencies
CORAF/WECARD
- WAAPP - National Centers of Specialization
CRI, Ghana: root and tuber crops
ISRA/CERAAS, Senegal: drought-tolerant cereals
CNRA, Côte d'Ivoire: banana and plantain
INRAB, Benin: maize
INERA, Burkina Faso: vegetables

19. West Africa Genomics and Biotech platform
 Bioscience
 Genebank (Cryo-funding for clonal crops; pre-breeding)
 Assessment of breeding programs - raise efficiency
 Cassavabase (open crop database)
 Regional IBP hub – West Africa
 Strengthened bioinformatics capacity
 Strengthened data management capacity
 Regional bioinformatics capacity development

20. 3 new regional initiatives

21. 1. Cotonou Center for
climate change and biotic stresses
 CORAF, INRAB, Africa Rice, Bioversity, CIRAD, IITA
 “Agropolis”
 Regional center for research and capacity development
 Francophone countries
 Initial workshop, May 5-7, 2014

22. NARS participants
Benin Ghana
Burkina Faso Guinea
Cap Verde Mali
Cameroon Niger
CAR Nigeria
Chad Senegal
Congo Republic Sierra Leone
Cote d’Ivoire The Gambia
Democratic Republic Congo Togo

23. Highlights
•New and emerging biotic stresses
•Regional importance of biotic stresses
•List of priority problems, capacity and gaps
•Limited capacities in diagnosis
•Lack of concerted approach to common problems
•Need for a coordinating body

24. Action plan
•Permanent coordinating structure
•Center strategy and vision (Nov 2014)
•Fund raising
•Training curriculum in close partnership with WCA Universities
•Office and training space (accommodation)
•Other institutions (icipe, AVRDC, CCAFS, etc.)

25. 2. Youth Agripreneurs
2. IITA Youth Agripreneurs

26. 2. IITA Youth Agripreneurs
 IFAD-funded pilot
 BSc holders – different disciplines
 Gender-balanced group
 Mentoring – resource intensive
 Agriculture as livelihood/business opportunity
 Agripreneurial training across the value chain
 Science-based technologies (quality seed)
 Capacity development of other youth
 Nigeria, Tanzania

27. 2. Youth agripreneurs
 Meeting in Ibadan in June 2014
 AfDB + NARS leaders SSA countries
 Concept note “ENABLE Youth in Africa”
 IITA model + AGRA model – more rural youth
 Long and short term training courses
 Communication networks
 Gender equity
 Supportive policies and finances/credit

28. 3. IITA BIP

29. IITA Business Incubation Platform - BIP
3 new regional initiatives
Bridge between research and dissemination

30. IITA Business Incubation Platform - BIP
Align research and market needs
Increase visibility
Training and technology transfer
Manage PPP
Attract funding
New knowledge
3 new regional initiatives
Bridge between research and dissemination

31. 3. BIP
 GoSeed
 Nodumax
 Aflasafe
 Agriserve

32. crop value
chain
Linking IITA BIP to R4D
GOSEED Nodumax AFLASAFE
Crop Improvement &
Plant Health &
Production
farm
households
input
products
Natural Resource
Management
production &
management
postharvest
handling
Social Science &
Agribusiness
product
marketing &
processing
sales &
consumption
BIP Phase
1
incubation
IITA core
competenc
y
AGRISERVE Training & Advisory Consultancies/ Youth in Agribusiness
training &
backstopping
foundation seed &
seed system development
legume inoculants
& BNF services
Aspergillus displacement
mechanisms & food safety
ID clients test & refine adoption packages product safety improve profits brand & promote

33. GoSeed
Most farmers in Nigeria use seeds from informal
sources – saved seeds, from friends, relations, other
farmers
Unreliable demand – limited supply of quality seed
MoA + Nigerian seed companies – consultative event

34. GoSeed
Crop Area
cultivated
(Ha)
Certified
seed req.
(MT)
Foundatio
n seed
req. (MT)
Breeder
seed
req
(MT)
%
Availabl
e
(range)
Maize OPV 2,335,102 46,702 2,335 116.70 9.4 - 11
Maize
Hybrid
1,000,758 15,011 1,001 66.72 9.4 - 11
Soybean 608,650 30,433 1,268 63.4 4.8 - 30
Cowpea 3,200,000 96,000 2,880 108 0 – 4.8

35. GoSeed
Key: Gap in breeder and foundation seeds supply must
be filled to enhance quality certified seeds availability
to farmers

36. GoSeed
Key: Gap in breeder and foundation seeds supply must
be filled to enhance quality certified seeds availability
to farmers
GOSEED WILL PRODUCE AND SELL BREEDER AND
FOUNDATION SEEDS TO SEED COMPANIES – start Jan
2015
MoA/Nigeria Agricultural Transformation Agenda,
WAAPP
Maize, cowpea, soybean, cassava

37. Nodumax
Factory
Design and
Workstations

38. Nodumax
 BMGF (N2Africa)
 Rhizobium inoculant
 Increased soybean production
 Increased biological N-fixation
 Challenges – quality and quantity
 2 batches of good quality…!

39. Aflasafe

40. Aflasafe
 Fungal strains that outcompete aflatoxin-producing
Aspergillus strains
 USAID, BMGF
 CRPs MAIZE, A4NH

41. Aflasafe
 Agresults (World bank)
 Creating demand for a product with ‘invisible’ effect
 BIP Aflasafe sells to partners (e.g. Doreopartners) who market
to farmers
 Agresults – advocacy and capacity dev for PREMIUM price for
aflasafe maize/groundnut (babyfood producers, poultry
industry, farmers themselves)
 Agresults – end product check – if aflasafe has been applied ->
BONUS to partners
 2nd year – partners have doubled-tripled the number of farmers
they work with

42. Aflasafe
Produced on demand for:
Nigeria, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso
Setting up small scale plants in Senegal

43. 3. BIP
 GoSeed
 Nodumax
 Aflasafe
 Agriserve
IITA exit –> private sector
3-5 years
Plants for other purposes