IITA wants African governments to allocate improved budgets to agriculture

• We’ve People Less Hungry, Less Poor Across Continent, Says Sanginga

Outgoing Director General, of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, has expressed dissatisfaction over the lackadaisical attitude of most African governments and critical stakeholders to the development of agriculture across the continent.

Addressing a selected team of journalists during his valedictory press conference at the institute’s headquarters in Ibadan Oyo State, Sanginga, said it was most disturbing that despite the abundant natural, human and other endowments, most African governments are still depending on their former colonial nations to develop agriculture.

Sanginga lamented the poor budgeting for agriculture, saying the sector alone can turn around the fortune of the continent economically only if the necessary focus, determination and right policies are in place.

He, however, disclosed that the Institute, under his stewardship in the last 11 years, had helped to contribute to achieving across Africa, over 150 million fewer hungry people, and 100 million fewer poor people, improving food and nutrition security, as well as improving natural resources and ecosystem services as part of the CGIAR Strategy 2016-2030.

Sanginga, who disclosed that IITA had brought about tremendous transformations in the African agricultural landscape, said the institute is appropriately positioned to do more to help Africa, especially Nigeria, in areas of research, training and generating more employment, if political and economic will are there.

According to him, “The IITA Youth Agripreneurs programme focuses on mentoring and building the capacity of young people, especially youth in science, entrepreneurship, and agriculture/agribusiness in Africa.”
 
He noted that under his tenure, the Business Incubation Platform started, which according to him oversees IITA’s science and technologies in breeding and variety screening, genetics, cultivation techniques, plant health, disease control and biopesticide development, growth stimulation, and vegetative and generative multiplication delivery to end-users across Africa.

Sanginga also said part of the ground-breaking results from IITA’s research is helping to strengthen national agricultural research and extension systems, which according to him, would strengthen Africa’s seed sector; scaling models-public-private partnerships; engaging youth in agriculture; developing improved varieties, agronomy, crop protection; establishing sustainable intensification/diversification; linking smallholder farmers to markets; mechanization, postharvest, and processing; establishing the importance of gender and youth; while developing safe and nutritious food, all of which will strategically impact the progress of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.”