The Director of West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and President of the African Plant Breeders Association (APBA), Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, is set to open the second APBA Conference in Kigali, Rwanda on October 25, 2021 to discuss current research outputs and outcomes in plant-breeding and related disciplines.
The conference, to be held under the theme, “Accelerating Genetic Gains in Plant Breeding for Resilience and Transformative Food Systems and Economic Growth in Africa”, will feature plenary sessions and panel discussions by leading plant breeders in Africa and beyond.
The APBA’s second Plant Breeding Conference will build the needed capacity to improve staple foods in Africa by presenting tangible solutions to governments, seed companies, non-governmental organisations, academia and farmers. “Strategic partnerships and urgent action in the area of genetic innovation are needed to develop resilient, nutritious and productive varieties of Africa’s staple crops. It is this urgent need that led to the formation of APBA, which is now supported by important consultations such as those that will be held at the plant-breeding conference in Kigali,” said APBA Foundation President, and WACCI Director, Prof. Eric Y. Danquah.
WACCI and its partners will also administer five pre-conference workshops to the 600 leading scientists and students from different research institutions and organisations across the world who have confirmed attendance.
Among the key speakers at the APBA Conference are H.E. Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA); H.E. Amb. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission and Hon. Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Rwanda’s Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources.
Others include Dr. Barbara H. Wells, Global Director, Genetic Innovation at Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR); Dr. Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist, USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security; Dr. Ousmane Badiane, AKADEMIYA2063’s Executive Chairman and Aggie Konde, AGRA’s Vice President of Program Development and Innovation.
Taking a hybrid mode of attendance, with both in-person and virtual audience, the conference will be organised under the hashtag #APBAConf2021.
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