By Ridwan Gany, CFO at Petrocam Africa should be treated as the unique content that it is to realise its full potential. This is not to say that multinationals currently operating on the African continent are not adding value, rather it means that far more Africans could benefit if multinationals adapt to the specific context of…
One Planet Fellowship US$19.2 M climate change, agriculture solutions calls for entries
The African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) has announced the call for the third cohort of the One Planet Fellowship. The US$19.2 million One Planet Fellowship seeks to invest in over 630 agricultural scientists, fostering their leadership expertise, strengthening their research skills, including integrating gender into their work, and catalyzing partnerships in Africa…
COVID-19: New Loan Guarantee Facility Unlocks Over $30M for private sector Healthcare in five African Countries
By Adelyn Wangusi A new emergency loan guarantee facility makes more than USD$30 million available to private, small- and medium enterprise (SME) health providers in five high malaria burden African countries. The loans will support healthcare providers in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda to continue offering essential health services, including malaria treatments, to…
Access to loans: CBN favours farmers using improved, disease-free cassava varieties for lending loans
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says only farmers who grow improved disease-free cassava stems will have access to the N25billion facility it has created to boost cassava production in the country. The policy aims at ensuring that beneficiaries of the facility have increased productivity and are able to repay loans and make incomes for…
‘Six Steps’ toolkit sparks excitement among cassava farmers
Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria were in awe when the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) conducted some harvest operations on-farm plots set up to demonstrate the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management and Best Planting Practices, one of the project’s agronomic recommendation toolkits. IITA-ACAI last year set…
Weak research funding hampers Africa Covid-19 clinical trials
By Joseph Checky Abuje Africa’s weak funding for research, poor research governance structures and weak health systems continue to hamper its place in vaccine development. Dr Borna Nyaoke-Anoke, a Senior Clinical Project Manager at the Drug for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) during a webinar seminar with African science journalists that while the researchers in…
IITA, EAGC to produce aflatoxin-free grains for health and trade
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) Tuesday signed an agreement to work together to tackle aflatoxin contamination of grains in the region to help ensure that they are safe for human and livestock consumption and meet export standards. Aflatoxin is a highly poisonous chemical produced by a…
Nigeria lauds IITA’s impact in the cassava seed sector
The Federal Government of Nigeria has commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners for their impact on the Nigerian seed system, especially in the cassava sector. The commendation came during the IITA launched the second phase of the Building an Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed Systems (BASIC II). The first phase…