IBADAN - The Japanese Government has commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for boosting food production in Africa in the face of population increase.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ryuichi Shoji, gave the commendation during his visit to IITA’s headquarters in Ibadan.
He told the institute’s Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, that IITA had taken giant strides in agricultural development and research on the continent.
“IITA’s research is producing good results… and the achievements are contributing to the development of agriculture in Africa, ’’ Shoji said.
Citing IITA’s work on cowpea and yam, which led to the development of improved varieties and management techniques, the ambassador said research on those crops was contributing to food security in sub-Saharan Africa .
He said Japan was proud to be associated with IITA and called for greater collaboration between the institute and his government in tackling the challenge of feeding the growing number of people in Africa .
With Africa ’s population currently more than a billion and being estimated to double by 2050, Shoji said the challenge was not just meeting the food demands of the population but also providing jobs for the youths.
“There are more and more people in Africa, more people to feed and more in need of jobs and we have to tackle these two problems,” he said.
Shoji expressed confidence that agricultural research held promise in tackling the challenges facing Africa and reiterated Japan ’s commitment to supporting agricultural development in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
He also commended the efforts of Nigeria in agricultural development under the leadership of Agriculture Minister, Dr Akin Adesina, stressing that Japan was in support of the steps taken by the country.
In his own speech, Sanginga reassured the ambassador that the institute would continue to foster greater partnership with the people of Japan .
He said IITA remained committed to the goal of improving agricultural productivity to fight hunger and poverty in Africa.
While calling for more collaboration, the IITA director - general commended Japan for supporting research in Africa, especially the exchange programmes between IITA and Japanese institutions.
He said such programmes were necessary for capacity development and the building of synergy among researchers.
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