Who we are

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) is a partnership between the University of Ghana (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 University of Ghana to train Plant Breeders in Africa working on the improvement of African crops train in local environments for farmers in Africa.  The Centre has expanded its scope to train Seed Scientists in Africa.

What we do

WACCI is training Plant Breeders and Seed Scientists for the sub-region on classical plant breeding and complementary molecular biology technologies needed for efficient development of superior and adaptable crops. WACCI is one institution among many that are working towards eradicating food insecurity in the sub-region through the training of the people needed to breed and to improve access to high quality seeds to improve food security crops for the rural farmers who currently cultivate unimproved low yielding varieties. WACCI is contributing the needed human resources for the strengthening breeding and seed science programmes of the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in SSA.                                                                           

News Highlights

Prof. Danquah

The Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI),  University of Ghana, Prof.  Eric Yirenkyi Danquah has been elected President of the Food for West Africa (FOOD4WA).

His election took place at the Tropical Summit in Lisbon, Portugal on November 7, 2024.  Speaking at the event, Prof. Danquah expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the network and emphasized his commitment to advancing it’s mission of driving transformative impact for the region’s agricultural future.

Field day

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, in partnership with USAID-AGRA Partnership for Inclusive Transformation in Africa (PIATA), has introduced farmers to a hybrid maize variety, Aburo Legon, aimed at addressing food security challenges and improving livelihoods. Aburo Legon is white-kernel single cross hybrid maize developed by WACCI and released in 2017.

NSP

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has officially welcomed its new National Service Persons (NSPs)  for the 2024/2025 academic year. The ceremony, held at the Centre's auditorium, introduced 11 new NSPs, comprising 8 females and 3 males, who will have the opportunity to work with WACCI for a year.

269

Student Population

167

Alumni

20

Countries

Events

Apr 12

Venue: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

Time: 9:00am