Ibadan, Nigeria
May 13, 2011
About 70% of the impact by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in Africa came from research outputs by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), according to the latest Impact Assessment of the CGIAR’s Science Council.
The 2007 assessment, which is still the latest from the archives, notes that the value of the impact/benefit was greater than the total CGIAR investment in African since 1971.
“That is something to be really proud of,” says IITA Director-General Dr. Peter Hartmann at a reunion forum with former IITA staff in Bali, Indonesia.
According to him, 60% of the maize grown in West and Central Africa today comes from IITA varieties.
The director general also noted that IITA had remained a very stable institute.
“It goes for nothing sexy and does not play the latest fashion game. It does the basic, steadily and consistently. That is its force. This works,” he said.
Hartmann was quick to mention that the success being recorded by the institute was a result of the commitment and foundation laid by the former staff.
He emphasized that the present management never reinvented the wheel.
“We did not have to undo anything. We just had to build on what you all had built. So it was enjoyable,” he added.
On the CGIAR reforms and the future of IITA, Hartmann said the institute was working towards diversifying its support base, but maintaining the CGIAR as one of the supporters.
To help the Institute in this direction, IITA has been doing a few things; the director general told the alumni group. Last year, Innovation AfricaTM (Research Park for Africa) was created to help capture more scientific synergy.
“The physical facilities should be ready by June 2012. Please help us get the word out, especially to the private sector,” he urged alumni. “We are building a coalition of three centers to serve Africa’s crop needs.”
“We are working on a Pan-African wide instrument to help nations tackle biological threats (pests and diseases).
“We are producing more commercial products. We have just released AflaSafe™ against Aflatoxins. The Gates Foundation is helping us seek firms to produce it commercially. We are clustering IITA scientists in fewer locations (hubs), so we can support them better. In short, we are investing in IITA’s future,” he explained.
Hartmann commended the former staff for keeping the association running, stressing that such a commitment is remarkable.
He also praised present IITA staff, stressing that they have remained faithful to the ideals of the Institute.
“Every year we give long service awards, and every year we have some that have been with us for over 30 years! It is just incredible,” he said.
Members of the alumni group expressed gratitude to Hartmann’s presence and efforts in keeping the flag flying at IITA.
Nangju Dimyati, chair of the 5th Reunion, said the alumni “is very grateful.”
The 5th reunion for IITA alumni and their families was held on 11-14 March and was attended by participants from 11 countries, including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Republic of Korea, Republic of China, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. Previous reunions had been held in the USA, Italy, and the UK.
The reunions provide a great opportunity for former and current staff to get together to talk about IITA and its future. The next reunion will be held after 2-3 years, possibly in Africa.
The alumni group of IITA consists of more than 400 former staff, some of who now occupy or have held important positions in other global, international, and national institutions.
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