IITA and NIHORT forge partnerships in plantain and banana breeding

For two transformative weeks, the IITA–CGIAR Plantain Breeding Program welcomed a team from NIHORT, marking a new chapter in advancing plantain and banana production for food security across Nigeria and Africa. The training, held from 28 October to 8 November, was designed to create a skilled professional base capable of undertaking the activities in the different stages of the plantain breeding pipeline to deliver improved varieties and high-quality planting materials to the farmers, a critical need as demand for healthy crops continues to rise.

The NIHORT participants immersed themselves in diverse learning areas, from tissue culture and macro propagation to field management and digital data capture. They gained essential skills for developing resilient plantain and banana crops through these modules. Indoor sessions offered insights into the unique characteristics of plantains, prevalent diseases, and the importance of enhancing plantain seed systems. These foundational lectures delivered by Moses Nyine (Breeder), Yao Kolombia (Pathologist) and Delphine Amah (Breeder and seed systems expert) prepared them for hands-on experience as they visited laboratories, propagator sheds, and IITA’s plantain fields under the mentorship of experts. Grouped by their primary interests, participants worked closely with specialists, learning practical techniques they would later pass on, creating a “train-the-trainer” ripple effect to expand expertise across Nigeria and beyond.  

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