FUNAI, IITA To Partner On Research, Agriculture Development
THefederal University Ndufu-alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, is set to partner the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, in the areas of research, agriculture, staff and students’ training and agricultural research proposal development.
This was disclosed by the ViceChancellor, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, during his visit to the institute, to discuss possible areas of mutual beneficial partnership.
Welcoming the FUNAI delegation, the Deputy Director-general of the institute, Dr. Kenton Dashiell noted that there were many possible areas the two organisations could collaborate. He stressed that the vision of IITA was to transform agriculture in Africa, adding, that without any staff of the institute in Ebonyi State, IITA can only impact farmers in the state through partnerships, thus emphasising the importance of a possible partnership with the university. The Deputy Director-general pledged to partner with the university in different areas of mutual interests, especially in moving agriculture and agricultural research forward in the southeastern part, especially in Ebonyi State.
Given the low level of improved cassava adoption in the southeast, he also expressed the commitment of IITA towards making FUNAI its partner in extending cassava technologies (under TAAT) in the region, adding that the institute would participate in the upcoming international conference on hidden hunger to be held in the university this year.
Dashiell further promised to link the university’s Directorate of Research and Development with IITA Project Development Unit and equally give the university access to its e-library, urging the university to also set up units in charge of technical, legal, and financial services in proposal development and project implementation, if not yet on ground, for easy collaboration.