Ghana
June 13, 2017
Ten years ago in June 2007, the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement was established to train Plant Breeders at the PhD level at the University of Ghana in Legon, Accra. The funds to set up the Centre were provided by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA President, was the guest of honour at the anniversary launch event and symposium dubbed the match towards food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa, in June this year at the University of Ghana.
Dr. Joe DeVries, AGRA’s Vice President in charge of programme Development and Innovation was the keynote speaker.
Ahead of the anniversary celebrations, Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, Founding Director of the Centre said,
“As the Founding Director, I am more than elated that from our early beginnings, WACCI has today become a globally significant institution.
“In 10 years, we have demonstrated that in working with strategic partners and taking giant strides, we have been able to produce quality PhD graduates who are game changers, and who are making history on the African continent. All our 35 graduates have returned to their home countries and are leading breeding programmes in West and Central Africa. In July, this year, 17 of our current 73 students will receive their PhD degrees in Plant Breeding at the University of Ghana’s Congregation ceremony.
“As one of the World Bank-funded Africa Centres of Excellence, WACCI has been assessed as well positioned to join the top-tier institutes educating the next generation of plant breeding professionals globally. With the strategic plans we have made for further expansion, and the record of our success to date, WACCI is poised to have a tremendous impact on food security for Africa in the decade ahead and beyond.
“Clearly, we could not have come this far without the support of several organizations and individuals. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) provided the initial funds for the establishment of the Centre and provided full scholarships for 53 PhD students, in addition to administrative support. At the University of Ghana, Professor Clifford Nii-Boi Tagoe, former Vice Chancellor (2006-2010), and his management team were instrumental in the establishment of WACCI. Our current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, and his predecessor, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, have all continued to support WACCI’s growth and development, and we are grateful to them for supporting us.
“The 10th anniversary provides us with a platform to look back at where we have come from; it also gives us the opportunity to engage our partners and potential partners in conversations aimed at sustaining WACCI well beyond the AGRA-funded phase. We are desirous to develop WACCI into a top-tier global plant breeding institution. Africa needs world class institutions to attract and develop gifted students into game changers and history makers for the inclusive transformation of agriculture, not only for food and nutrition security but also to create jobs to address the youth bulge.”
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