IITA signs co-operation agreement with CSIR
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (UTA) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana have entered into a Technical Co-operation Agreement (TCA). The agreement allows IITA to operate in Ghana under the aegis of CSIR.
The agreement was signed in Accra by Dr. A.B. Salifu, Director General of CSIR, and Dr. Lakshmi Menon, IITA Deputy Director General for Support Services.
The TCA marks the start of a long-term collaboration between IITA and the Government of Ghana through its different agricultural research entities. CSIR will also facilitate the process for the completion of a Host Country Agreement for IITA with the Ghanaian government.
When ratified, the agreement will accord IITA similar privileges enjoyed by other international development organisations operating in the country.
In past years, IITA had worked in Ghana in partnership with national agriculture systems on a project-by-project basis. This came to a head with the establishment of the Sustainable Tree Crops Programme (STCP), which is being implemented under a Memorandum of Understanding between IITA and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) – Ghana.
IITA’s highly recognised position in agricultural research in Africa contributed to the smooth confirmation of the TCA’s association with CSIR and its affiliate research institutions.
The agreement was handed over to CSIR by Dr Menon at a recent working visit to Ghana. She expressed her appreciation to CSIR and its research partners for fast-tracking the agreement.
In response, the Deputy Director General of the CSIR, Dr Rose Emma Mamaa Entsua-Mensah, gave the assurance that the research partners would jointly develop research programmes and provide technical support to CSIR/IITA activities not only within Ghana but also in the West African sub-region. She added that “the agreement demonstrated the commitment of both organisations to long-term collaboration.
Present at the brief signing ceremony were Yacoubou Aboubakar, IITA West/Central Africa Regional Administrator, and Isaac Gyamfi, IITA Country Representative to Ghana.
Source: Daily Graphic