Stakeholders, representatives of state institutions, alumni, partners, staff, and students gathered at the Cedi Conference Centre earlier this month to commemorate the 16th Anniversary of the University of Ghana's West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI).
The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the significant progress made by the Centre since its establishment in 2007 and subsequent launch in 2008.
Under the distinguished Chairpersonship of Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University, the occasion celebrated the remarkable achievements of WACCI.
Prof. Amfo, in her Chairperson’s opening remarks, praised the Centre's contributions, stating, "The work carried out by WACCI over the years has elevated the global visibility and impact of the University." She commended the leadership, faculty, staff, and partners for their unwavering dedication to WACCI's mission.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
The Vice-Chancellor also reaffirmed the University's commitment to providing continuous support to WACCI, in collaboration with other partners, to address challenges related to food security, hunger eradication, improved nutrition, and sustainable agriculture in Africa.
During the event, Prof. Eric Danquah, the Founding Director of WACCI, delivered a presentation highlighting 16 lessons learned while recounting the Centre's story.
Commenting on the humble beginnings of WACCI and emphasizing that strategic partnerships were key to meeting global benchmarks in higher education, Prof. Danquah said, "The risks we have taken in working on this project cannot be imagined, but we were able to do all of these things because of the commitment and the strong collaborations."
Prof. Eric Danquah, Founding Director of WACCI
He noted that the success of WACCI has attracted new partners from across the world, and with excellent facilities, WACCI is better positioned to attract and retain the best talents in Africa and beyond.
Prof. Danquah highlighted the significant investment received by WACCI and its excellent return on investment. He stated, "We have attracted over forty million dollars in investment and have trained and graduated 105 PhDs and 40 MPhils from 15 countries. These graduates have attracted over sixty-two million dollars in grants and have released over 270 varieties of improved crops in 7 African countries."
A cross-section of guests at the ceremony
He also announced three ongoing public-private partnerships between WACCI and strategic partners. Prof. Danquah expressed his gratitude to local and international partners, including the Government of Ghana and Ministers of State, former Vice-Chancellors, the present Vice-Chancellor, Principal Officers of the University, as well as the WACCI team for their tremendous contributions.
Prof. Giles Oldroyd, the Director of the Centre of Crop Science at the University of Cambridge, delivered a keynote address for the occasion on "The Global Influence of Plant Breeding on Ensuring Food Security and the Importance of Higher Education."
Prof. Oldroyd emphasized the critical role of higher education in advancing plant breeding, stating, "Higher education plays a crucial role in ensuring an adequate food supply worldwide."
A cross-section of guests and dignitaries at the event
He noted that "sustainable agricultural production that can deliver the necessary food for the global population must be adopted amidst global climate change." He shed light on how the University of Cambridge, as an institution of higher education, is leveraging research and its personnel to contribute to food security and the UK economy.
Prof. Oldroyd urged the Vice-Chancellor of the University and the WACCI team to work towards attracting major programmes like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation projects to Africa and Ghana.
In their goodwill messages, the Ministers for Food and Agriculture and Education, Hon. Bryan Acheampong and Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, commended the progress of WACCI and respectively pledged support to push for the implementation of the National Research Fund. This would enable scientists and research institutions to access the Fund for further scientific research, innovation, and collaboration to drive Ghana's development agenda.
Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister for Education; Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (in charge of Crops); Dr. Joe DeVries, President of the Seed Systems Group; Prof. Ronnie Coffman, Emeritus Professor of Cornell University and Co-Founder of WACCI; Juliette Lampoh-Agroh, AGRA Country Director for Ghana; and Dr. Ekua Nuama Bentil from the ACE Impact Project at the World Bank were among the dignitaries who spoke at the event.
Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister for Education
The event, which saw the attendance of over 100 WACCI Alumni and several students from Basic and Senior High schools such as the UG Basic School, Accra Academy, St. Thomas Aquinas, Ideal College, and Presbyterian Boys School, was also used to relaunch the WACCI Endowment Fund.
With the relaunch of the Endowment Fund, the Centre hopes to continue making significant strides in crop research and education, contributing to sustainable agriculture practices in Africa and beyond, and aims to train more plant breeders and crop scientists in the coming decades.
A cross-section of students from some Senior High Schools in Accra
The WACCI Alumni Homecoming commenced with a 'Conversation with Alumni' event and culminated in an International Symposium. The symposium featured 25 speakers from 20 different countries, who shared their insights on what needs to be done differently by agricultural sector stakeholders to ensure broader farmer access to crops produced using new breeding technologies.
The 16th anniversary was also marked with an anniversary gala, which featured Samini, one of Ghana’s celebrated dance hall artistes and an awards ceremony that recognized some outstanding alumni, staff and partners of WACCI.