GHANA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Diploma Agric - Technician
Asrat Asfaw Amele joined IITA-Abuja, Nigeria, as a Yam Breeder. He obtained a BSc degree in Plant Science from the former Alemaya Agricultural University (now Haromaya University), Ethiopia in 1995. He has an MSc degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar, India. He obtained his PhD in Plant Breeding at Wageningen University, The Netherlands in 2011.
Before this appointment, he had been a Potato Breeder at the International Potato Center, sub-Sahara Africa Regional Program since 2012.
Job Titles:
- Dr Nzué Boni - Lead of Root and Tubers Program
Job Titles:
- AfricaYam Project Leader Inspects Field Trials in Abuja, Nigeria
- Plant Breeder / Geneticist
- Plant Breeder / Geneticist / View Profile
Dr. Patrick Adebola is a Plant Breeder/Geneticist. He joined IITA-Abuja, Nigeria as Project Leader of the AfricaYam Project. Dr. Adebola oversees and coordinates the project activities in the four target countries. He obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria in 1987, 1990 and 2003 respectively. He also obtained a Master degree in Business Leadership (MBL) from the Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa in 2014. Dr. Adebola has over 20 years' experience in plant breeding research and community engagement in West and Southern Africa and had managed and supervised several international projects and networks.
Before joining IITA, Dr. Adebola worked at the Africa Rice Center as the Deputy Director General for the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), Liberia in 2016. He was a Research Team Manager and Head of the Plant Breeding Division at the Agricultural Research Council, ARC-VOPI, South Africa (2005 - 2016). He also previously worked at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria as a research scientist and rose to the position of Assistant Chief Research Officer and Program Manager Biotechnology (1993-2004). He was a postdoctoral fellow (2004-2005) in the department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, South Africa and a recipient of the Rothamsted International Postdoctoral Fellowship hosted by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), Sand Hutton, York, United Kingdom during 2008-2010.
More than 54 million tons of yams are produced in Sub-Saharan Africa annually on 4.6 M Ha. Over 95% of this production lies in a five-country "yam belt" that includes Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. Although yam production in Africa is 40% that of cassava, the value of yam production exceeds all other African staple crops and is equivalent to the summed value for the top three cereal crops (maize + rice + sorghum). Yam is the preferred staple food in West Africa and elastic demand is constrained by inadequate production and losses in storage.
The most important biotic constraints are nematodes, viruses, and anthracnose. Yam cultivation has high environmental impact because it is usually planted into recently cleared land and requires staking with branches/small trees, especially in the forest areas.
Yam productivity is negatively impacted by declining soil fertility and soil-borne nematodes associated with intensive cropping systems. Genetic improvement can contribute significantly to addressing these challenges and seizing opportunities for expanding the markets for the commodity.
Important traits for breeding include yield, tuber quality, resistance/tolerance to diseases (yam mosaic virus and anthracnose) and nematodes. However yam breeding is challenging, there is limited current capacity for it in West Africa, and relatively little has been done to date.
Job Titles:
- Co - PI ( Breeding and Genetics )
Job Titles:
- Director, Research for Development
Dr. Robert Asiedu is the Director, Research for Development, for IITA-West Africa. He also leads the Institute's work on Biotechnology and Crop Improvement. He joined IITA in 1989 to work as a breeder of root and tuber crops, after a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico where he worked on the transfer of useful traits to wheat from its wild relatives. He provides institutional oversight to the AfricaYam project from amongst others.
Dr. Asiedu has supervised or coordinated collaborative R4D projects with NARIs in Africa, published widely in international peer-reviewed journals, and contributed to the formal release of several high-yielding and pest-resistant yam varieties by national research partners in Nigeria and Ghana. Together with university lecturers, he also co-supervised the thesis research on root and tuber crops of many postgraduate students, mostly in Africa.
He holds a PhD degree in Agricultural Science from the University Of Adelaide, Australia, and a BSc Honors degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. A Chartered Biologist, he is a member of the Society of Biology and the International Society for Tropical Root Crops.
Job Titles:
- Diploma Agric, - Technician
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Postdoctoral Fellow ( Yam Disease Phenotyping Specialist )
Kolade Olufisayo Atinuke is a postdoctoral fellow (Yam Disease Phenotyping Specialist) under the project Africa Yam: Enhancing Yam Breeding for Increased Productivity and Improved Quality in West Africa.
She holds a PhD (2013) and an MSc (1995) in Genetics from the University of Ibadan and a BSc in Botany from the University of Ilorin (1989).
In collaboration with IITA virologist, she coordinates the technical management of diseases scoring and evaluation of breeding material, also training national breeders in scoring and associated activities.
Prior to her appointment, she worked as a Research Administrative Manager with the Africa Rice Center Ibadan station (2013-2015); and as a Research Assistant in AfricaRice, Cotonou, Benin Republic (2008-2013). She was a Research Associate at the Bioscience Center of IITA (2004-2008); Research Supervisor at the Cassava Breeding Unit (1994-2004); Research Supervisor at the then Tuber, Roots and Plantain Improvement Program, IITA (1990-1994) and was a youth corper (NYSC) (1989-1990).
She was a DSF fellow (BEST: Bourses d'échanges scientifiques et technologiques) at the Institute of Research and Development IRD, Montepellier, France (2011-2012 where she contributed to the research on the identification of a resistance gene to the Rice yellow mottle virus. She is presently an AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research and Development) fellow.
Job Titles:
- Head of the Germplasm Health Unit
- Head of the Germplasm Health Unit, and Virology and Molecular Diagnostics
Lava Kumar is the Head of the Germplasm Health Unit, and Virology and Molecular Diagnostics Unit at IITA. His research programs are focused on (a) protecting germplasm health from pathogens and pests; (b) tackling virus diseases of IITA crops (cassava, yam, banana/plantain, cowpea, soybean, and maize), cacao, and vegetables; (c) developing convenient diagnostic tools for identification of pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and phytoplasma), pests and mycotoxins (aflatoxins); and (d) conducting training courses and workshops in plant disease diagnostics and control, and also higher degree training, leading graduate and postgraduate students to M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees.
He has been leading several R4D projects executed in collaboration with universities, NARS, and ARIs.
Job Titles:
- Head of the Genetic Resources Center
Michael Abberton is Head of the Genetic Resources Center, IITA, Ibadan, since August 2012. He obtained his B.Sc. in Botany and Ph.D. in plant cytogenetics from the University of Manchester and subsequently undertook postdoctoral research in molecular biology at the University of St. Andrews. Following two years working on coffee germplasm improvement in Malawi he joined the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER), Aberystwyth, UK in 1993.
For a number of years he carried out research and breeding in forage legumes and became Head of the Plant Genetics and Breeding Department at IGER. Following merger with Aberystwyth University in 2008 [creating the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS)] he became Professor of Public Good Plant Breeding and Director of International Development.
Job Titles:
- Mr Chimela Ogidi - Field Technician
Job Titles:
- Mr Chimela Ogidi - Field Technician
Olubunmi Simon Olukotun is the project Administrator. He joined IITA-Ibadan as Project Administrator of the AfricaYam Project. He liaises with the Project Manager to ensure that project activities are completed within time, within budget. Develops and maintains plans to support the AfricaYam Project, including analysis of tasks, schedules and resources needed.
He obtained his B.Sc. in Political Science and MBA degrees from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. Olubunmi is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and has professional trainings in Project Management.
He started his career at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in year 2000 as an Administrative Officer II and over the years rose to the post of Chief Administrative Officer in the same institute. He previously worked as Personal Assistant to Executive Directors of CRIN, during which, he assisted in coordinating the Executive Directors office and provided necessary assistance for the smooth running of the institute. His duties in the past years requires, meticulous handling and keen ability to convey complex ideas clearly. He has also prepared dozens of official reports on internally and externally funded projects.