Professor Owusu lauds WACCI for spearheading Africa's agriculture transformation

Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana (UG), has lauded the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), UG, for spearheading Africa's agriculture transformation.

"We have to transform agriculture in Africa, we need a step change in our agriculture and it is Africans who will lead the way today and tomorrow.

"Clearly we have in WACCI, a dynamic Centre that is leading the way and it's pre-eminence in the delivery of quality plant breeding education in Africa cannot be overemphasised," Prof Owusu said on Wednesday in his opening remarks at the 10th Anniversary Launch and Symposium of WACCI.

The event held under the theme: "The March towards Food and Nutrition Security in Sub-Saharan Africa," was attended by renowned academics, agriculturists and industrialists from across the globe.

Among the high profile personalities, who graced the function were former Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur and his wife Matilda; Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education; Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance; Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture and Mrs Mercy Haizel-Ashia, Registrar University of Ghana.

WACCI is a partnership between the UG and Cornell University, USA that was established in June 2007 with funding from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) at the UG to train Plant Breeders in Africa working on the improvement of African crops in local environments for farmers in Africa.

Its vision is to become the foremost Centre for post-graduate training and research in crop improvement in Africa.

Prof. Owusu said through sustained and visionary leadership, WACCI was selected as one of the World Bank Africa Centres of Excellence following an open, rigorous, merit-based evaluation benchmarked to the highest international standards.

He said: "WACCI has proven its mettle and as a University we are indeed proud of the achievements of WACCI to date.

"The Centre has over the past four years, produced the highest number of PhD students, including international students from across the sub-Saharan Africa diversion.

"I am optimistic the Centre will continue to soar, looking at the number of students eager to enroll with WACCI and the Centre's Comprehensive sustainability plan."

The Vice Chancellor said there is no doubt that the agricultural department brought about improvements in health and well-being; adding that while great progress had been made globally in this respect, the untapped agricultural potential in sub-Saharan Africa has contributed to extreme poverty and deteriorated food and nutrition security with over 240 million people going hungry.

He said the rate of population growth coupled with complex socioeconomic factors, including changing climatic conditions will aggregate the challenges we face with respect to food and nutrition security.

Prof Owusu said statistics project that a whooping 320 million people would go hungry by 2025 if urgent action was not taken.

Prof Eric Danquah, the Founding Director of WACCI, said: "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," he said.

He said all 35 graduates of the Centre have returned to their home countries and were leading breeding programmes in West and Central Africa.

He said in July 2017, 17 of the current 73 students would receive their PhD degrees in Plant Breeding at the UG Congregation Ceremony.

He said with the strategic plans they have made for further expansion and the record of their success to date, WACCI was poised to have a tremendous impact on food security for Africa in the decade ahead and beyond.

Mr Ofori-Atta officially launched the $50 million WACCI Endowment Fund with seed money of one million dollars from government.

He urged all and sundry to support the WACCI Endowment Fund as part of efforts to ensure food security in Africa.

Dr Opoku Prempeh congratulated WACCI for its tremendous achievements over the past decade.

He said after seeing the achievements of the Centre, he would personally support the Plant Breeders Bill adding that the government was committed to investing in all levels of education.

Dr Prempeh said the Bunso Cocoa College would be transformed to become one of the campuses of the University’s Environment and Sustainable Development.

He said with the assistance of Korea, they hope to run programmes such as agriculture, agribusiness, engineering and technology at the Bunso Campus.

Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto said the country needs quality human resources from WACCI to support its Seed Company and enterprises to help produce quality seeds for subsequent use by farmers.

"The use of good quality seeds is the starting point of a successful crop as well as important risk management tool," he said.

Dr Agnes Kalibata, the President, AGRA Kenya, said AGRA was 100 per cent committed to work with WACCI.

"We are going to be feeding 2.5 billion people within the next five years, so we need institutions like WACCI," she said.

Prof Ronnie Coffman, Director, International Programmes, CALS, Cornel University, said WACCI is a laudable project to invest in.