African Plant Breeding Academy celebrates graduation of CRISPR course second cohort

IITA–CGIAR, in partnership with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley, and the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), celebrated a milestone on 11 October as the participants of cohort II graduated from the African Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) CRISPR course. The training is a part of IITA’s broader efforts to equip African scientists with cutting-edge skills in agricultural biotechnology, particularly applying CRISPR-based genome editing to improve crop resilience and productivity.

The graduating class included 11 scientists from 8 African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa. These researchers underwent an intensive program covering both theoretical and practical aspects of genome editing with three two-week sessions at IITA-Nairobi, hosted by  ILRI and World Agroforestry in Nairobi, Kenya. The course was designed to address the growing demand for expertise in CRISPR technology to address key agricultural challenges such as disease resistance, drought tolerance, nutrition enhancement, and crop yield improvement.

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