WACCI is an African Centre of Excellence for training plant breeders and seed scientists located in Ghana. Its vision is to become the foremost centre for training plant breeders in Africa. It has enrolled over 80 PhD students since 2007 and aims to enroll 65 PhD students in plant breeding and 60 MPhil students in seed science between 2014-2018. It has also developed a new accredited 2-year MPhil program in seed science and technology. WACCI generates revenue through various donors and sponsors to fund its activities and has committed funds to equipment, facilities, and student scholarships. Its main challenges are fully funding qualified students and attracting more qualified female students, which it addresses through continuous fundraising and innovative recruitment strategies.

1. WACCI: African Centre of Excellence (ACE)
for Training Plant Breeders and Seed Scientists
Fourth ACE Project Workshop, Cotonou, Benin
November 16-19, 2015 1
Dr. John S. Y. Eleblu
Coordinator, Research Programmes, Francophone West Africa
WACCI

2. West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI)
Established in June, 2007 to train plant breeders (in an
innovative 4-year PhD program) over a 10-year period (AGRA-
PASS grant)
Vision
To become the foremost Centre for the training of
Plant Breeders for Africa

3. • To transform WACCI into a sustainable
world class platform for the training of Plant
Breeders and Seed Scientists &
Technologists
• To enrol 65 PhD students in Plant Breeding
and 60 MPhil students in Seed Science &
Technology between 2014 and 2018
The Objectives of the WACCI-ACE Project
3

4. Update DLI 2.1: PhD Students Enrollment - Cohort 8 (2015)
TCHALA Noudifoule
Togo
WAAPP, Togo
OBENG-BIO
Ebenezer
Ghana
USAID
DEWA Messan Koussakana
Togo
WAAPP, Togo
DAWUD Maryam Abba
Nigeria
WAAPP, Nigeria
SSREMBA Godfrey
Uganda
EU-Intra ACP Mobility
BANLA Essohouna
Modom
Togo
WAAPP, Togo
MELOMEY Leander Dede
Ghana
Syngenta Foundation
DADZIE Abu Mustapha
Ghana
USAID
MOHAMMED Saba
Baba
Nigeria
WAAPP, Nigeria
UTOBLO Obaiya Grace
Nigeria
DAAD
DIATTA Elisabeth
Senegal
Purdue-SMIL
SEYNI Ousmane
Diakite
Niger
Purdue-SMIL
BARNOR Teye
Michael
Ghana
USAID
NGALAMU Tony
South Sudan
EU-Intra ACP Mobility
DIANGAR Moussa
Senegal
WAAPP, Senegal
4, 27%
11, 73%
Regional Spread
National Regional
11, 73%
4, 27%
Gender
Male Female

5. Update DLI 2.1: PhD Students Admitted – Cohort 9 (2016)
NAME GENDER COUNTRY
1 Mr. Ousseini Ardaly Abdou Oussou Male Niger
2 Ms. Juliana Mariama Vangahun Female Sierra Leone
3 Mrs. Augusta Jebeh Barka Female Sierra Leone
4 Mrs. Rukaiya Aliyu Sami Female Nigeria
5 Mr. Luka Atwok Opio Awata Male South Sudan
6 Mr. Mahamadou Gado Djibo Male Niger
7 Mr. Wendm Ygzaw Gesesew Male Ethiopia
8 Mr. Bassirou Sani Boubacar Gaoh Male Niger
9 Mr. Nathan Aliel Kachiguma Male Malawi
10 Mr. Bedasa Mekonnon Dosho Male Ethiopia
11 Mr. Aminu Kurawa Ibrahim Male Nigeria
12 Mr. Tighankoumi Jnr. Gmakouba Male Togo
13 Mrs. Adelaide Pingdewinde Ouedraogo Female Burkina Faso
14 Mrs. Pearl Abu Female Ghana
15 Mr. Michael Kwabena Osei Male Ghana
16 Mrs. Rosemary Kusi-Adjei Female Ghana
17 Mr. Kwabena Bediako Asare Male Ghana
18 Mr. Yahaya Abdul Rahman Sadiq Male Nigeria
19 Mr. Cheikh Oumar Diallo Male Senegal
20 Mr. Dans Kiamue Johnson Male Liberia
21 Mr. Prince Emmanuel Norman Male Sierra Leone
22 Mr. Abdulwahab Saliu Shaibu Male Nigeria
18, 82%
4, 18%
Regional Spread
Regional National
16, 73%
6, 27%
Gender
Male Female

6. Enrollment to date
82 Students Enrolled
30 Female (37%)
43 Anglophone (52%)
39 Francophone

7. MPhil Seed Science &
Technology
 Developed MPhil SST
curriculum
 Obtained accreditation for
MPhil SST programme
 Admission of quality students
into MPhil programme in
progress
Update DLI 2.2: New MPhil Programme

8. Innovative 2-yr MPhil
SST Programme
– 1 year Coursework
– 3 months experiential
learning at Private Seed
Companies, National Seed
Programmes, ISU-SSC,
Cornell-NYSAES and other
collaborating institutions
– 1 year thesis research
Delivering
New Accredited Programmes…
MPhil in Seed Science and Technology in collaboration with Iowa State
University, USA the NARS in Ghana and the private sector

9. Update DLI 2.2: Mphil Students Enrollment – Cohort 1 (2015)
ESHUN Kwesi Benjamin
Ghana
SACKEY Evans Agortey
Ghana
VUKANIA Daisy Hatong
Ghana
Lorpu Kezelee
Liberia
OSSOM Mathias Korle
Ghana
ACHEAMPONG Anthony
Ghana
ISSAH Abdul-Rashid
Ghana
AMIHERE Kwame Blay
Ghana
SARKODIE Jonathan
Ghana
Davidetta Moore
Coleguwor
Liberia
Prince Eburey Appiah
Ghana
9, 82%
2, 18%
Regional Spread
National Regional
8, 73%
3, 27%
Gender
Male Female

10.  Innovative Programmes/
Curriculum
 Excellence built into the
programme
 Excellent facilities
 English language proficien
cy course (Francophone)
 Student Bursaries
 Stable & Friendly
Environment in Ghana
 Impact of our Graduates
Attracting Regional Students
4
3
4
1
3
2
1 1 1 1 1
WACCI Cohort 9 PhD Students

11. • Two boreholes, drip irrigation
system, water storage
system, seed store,
generator
• 2.5 acres irrigable area
fenced and gated (Expansion to
5 acres)
• 1,750 hybrids have been
evaluated
Multi-locational trials of 10
hybrid varieties (9 - 11 t/ha)
ongoing
WACCI Model Farm
11

12. Partner Engagement
WACCI,
UG
AGRA
Gates & Rockefeller
Foundations
Local & Regional Institutions
(Universities, NARI’s, Private
Sector, NGOs)
KNUST, CSIR, BNARI,
ARCN, IER, BecA-ILRI,
INERA, INRAN
Premium Foods, M&B
Seeds, Seed Co.
Cornell Univ.
Purdue Univ.
Univ of Illinois
Iowa State Univ.
ICRISAT, IITA
GCP, JICA, USAID,
DAAD,WAAPP, SFSA,
WAAPP, WORLD BANK,

13. Establishment of the Consortium for
Agricultural Education and Innovation
Frontrunners in West Africa
Activity Responsible ACE/Persons Deadlines
Development of the
framework
WACCI September 30, 2015
Review and inputs from
other ACEs
ACEs representatives October 15, 2015
Discussion of the CAEIFWA
documents and plans during
the next ACE meeting,
Cotonou, Benin
ACEs November 2015
Formation of the Steering
Committee
ACE Directors November 2015

14. Action Plan To Strengthen Partnerships
• Co - supervision of students
• Training workshops
• Faculty and Staff Exchange
• Seminars
• Breeding Programmes and Joint Research Proposals
• Genotyping and Data Analysis
• Stakeholder Meetings
• A seat on the WACCI Advisory Board (CORAF-
WECARD)

15. Donors/Sponsors
AGRA ICRISAT Drylands Cereals
GCP DAAD
Cornell University USAID
Purdue University EU Intra-ACP Mobility Project
Kirkhouse Trust Global Change
Institute/University of
Queensland
VW Foundation AGRA SSTP
WAAPP Premium Foods
Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture

16. Revenue Generated (Jan 1, 2014 – Nov 18, 2015)
SPONSOR/DONOR STUDENT(S)/PROJECT AMOUNT (USD)
AGRA 1. ABDOU SOULEYMANE
2. SANATU ALIDU
MUSTAPHA
3. DIENI ZAKARIA
4. DIALLO CHIAKA
5. AKAOGU IJEOMA
CHINYERE
2,440,188
WAAPP Sierra Leone 1. KARIM KUMBA YANNAH
2. ISATA KAMANDA
123,642
WAAPP Senegal 1. KANFANY GHISLAIN
2. BATHE DIOP
3. AISSATOU SAMBOU
4. MOUSSA DIANGAR
131,699
CORNELL NEXTGEN
CASSAVA
1. OLUMIDE ALABI ALABA
2. LYDIA EZENWAKA
3. KAYONDO ISMAIL
164,397
Scholarships

17. SPONSOR/DONOR STUDENT(S)/PROJECT AMOUNT (USD)
USAID 1. ABU MUSTAPHA DADZIE
2. EBENEZER OBENG-BIO
3. MICHAEL TEYE-BANNOR
64,689
SYNGENTA
FOUNDATION
(SFSA)
1. LEANDER DEDE MELORME 29,155
PURDUE SMIL 1. ELISABETH DIATTA
2. SEYNI DIAKITE OUSMANE
68,906
WAAPP TOGO 1. DEWA KASA MESSAN
2. BANLA ESSOUHOUN
3. TCHALA GILBERT
NOUDIFOULE
96,432
INTRA-ACP 1. GODFREY SSEREMBA
2. TONY NGALAMU
106,740
WAAPP NIGERIA 1. MARYAM ABBA DAWUD
2. MOHAMMED SABA BABA
23,078
Scholarships

18. SPONSOR/DONOR STUDENT(S)/PROJECT AMOUNT (USD)
ICRISAT DC DRYLANDS CEREALS
SCHOLARSHIP
49,993
DAAD PART-SCHORLARSHIP FOR 7
PHD STUDENTS
98,303
GCI/UNIVERSITY
OF QUEENSLAND
DEMAND-LED PLANT VARIETY
DESIGN
105,000
PURDUE
UNIVERSITY
FUNCTIONAL SORGHUM
GENE DISCOVERY PROJECT
41,078
KIRKHOUSE TRUST PHD SCHOLARSHIP FOR
SOBDA GONNE
48,543
AGRA SSTP FIELD TRIAL AND EVALUATION
OF MAIZE HYBRIDS
37,834
SELF-PART SCHOLARSHIP
FOR PHD STUDIES
9,043
Student Projects

19. • Total Revenue Generated from January 1,
2014 to November 18, 2015 is:
US$3,638,715
Total Revenue Generated

20. Status of Expenditure (Committed)
• Seed Laboratory Equipment - US$233,861.76
• Farm Irrigation Facilities - US$49,500
• Network Equipment & Accessories - US$15,100
• Computers & Accessories - US$15,600
• Vehicles (4 X 4 & Bus) - US$217,000
• General Office Consumables - US$24,500
• Tuition scholarships (MPhil & PhD Students) -
US$86,737
• Accounting software (purchased) - US$750

21. Challenges and Coping Strategies
• Funding for qualified students
 Continous resource mobilization efforts
• Qualified female students willing and able to enroll
 Create innovative recruitment strategies to attract
female students
• Unavailability of qualified plant breeders in some countries
 WACCI products (graduates)
• Limited space at WACCI
 Expansion of existing lecture room
 Construction of new facility to host
 Seed Science and Technology Laboratory
 Bioinformatics Laboratory
 Tissue Culture Laboratory
 Cold room
 Lecture rooms
 Conference rooms
 Offices

22. Acknowledgements: Partners
WAAPP
The NARS in WCA