The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement successfully presented the 14 students of its 7th cohort to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Ghana for their PhD oral examinations. This was after the completion of a 1-year coursework at WACCI and a 3-year research work in the home countries of the students. External examiners from Africa Rice-Côte d’Ivoire, IITA-Nigeria, University of Ibadan-Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University-Nigeria, Crops Research Institute-Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, University of Port Harcourt-Nigeria, Obafemi-Awolowo University-Nigeria, CIAT-Columbia, IER-Mali and other institutes all attended the oral examination of the students. All the students performance were excellent and they received high praise for their individual works.
A Group Photograph of all fourteen PHD Students
The names, countries and theses topics of the students are below:
Kamanda Isata from Sierra Leone
Thesis title: Genetic Improvement of Root Yield and Nutritional Quality of Cassava (Manihotesculenta Crantz)
Dieni Zakaria from Burkina Faso
Thesis title: Genetic Study of Cowpea (VignaunguiculataL. Walp.) for Resistance to Alectravogelii Benth.
Alidu Sanatu Mustapha from Ghana
Thesis title: Genetic Variability for Drought Tolerance in Cowpea Recombinant Inbred Lines [vignaunguiculata (L.) WALP.] in Ghana
Diallo Chiaka from Mali
Thesis title: Genetic analysis of yield related traits in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) under phosphorus deficient field conditions in southern Mali
Souleymane Abdou from Niger
Thesis title: Selection of High Yielding Cowpea Varieties under Low P Soil Conditions
Akaogu Ijeoma Chinyere from Nigeria
Thesis title: Genetic Analysis of Drought Tolerant Early Maturing Maize Inbreds with Striga Resistance Genes from Zeadiploperennis
Ezenwaka Lydia Chidimma from Nigeria
Thesis title: Association Mapping and Linkage Analysis of Resistance to Cassava Green Mite in Cassava (ManihotesculentaCrantz)
Diop Bathe from Senegal
Thesis title: Genomic Study of Iron Toxicity Tolerance in West African Rice Cultivars
Kayondo Siraj Ismail from Uganda
Thesis title: Evaluation of Genetic Analyses and Selection Strategies for Improvement of Farmer Preferred Traits in Cassava
Kumba Yannah Karim from Sierra Leone
Thesis title: Genetic Analysis and Selection for High Starch, Dry Matter Content and Root Yield in Cassava (Manihotesculenta Crantz
Kanfany Ghislain from Senegal
Thesis title: Genetic Improvement for Host-Plant Resistance to Pearl Millet Downy Mildew Disease [Sclerosporagraminicola (Sacc.) J. Schroeter] in Senegal
Azu Elaine from Ghana
Thesis title: Selection for Phosphorus-use Efficient Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) from a Mutagenised Population
Sambou Aissatou from Senegal
Thesis title: Mapping and Utilization of Beneficial Alleles from Wild Species to Improve Agronomic Traits in Cultivated Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea. L)
Alabi Olumide Alaba from Nigeria
Thesis title: Empirical Validation of Genetic Gains of Genomic Selection in Cassava Breeding
WACCI congratulates all its 14 students for the excellent performance and wished them well in the individual fights against food security in their various organizations.