News Highlights

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, in collaboration with researchers at the Digital, Data and Design Institute at Harvard University and Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), Cornell University will host the Inaugural Advancing Frontiers Conference (AFC) - a fully virtual event scheduled for March 24, 2026.

Thirteen students from the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) have graduated with doctoral degrees in Plant Breeding from the University of Ghana on February 10, 2026, at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana. 

The graduating class included five females and eight males from six African countries: Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. 

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana, in collaboration with European and Ghanaian partner institutions, has successfully hosted the close-out workshop for the Erasmus+ ImPreSSion Project. 

Held at WACCI, under the theme “Unleashing the Power of Technology for Teaching and Learning,” the workshop brought together representatives from partner universities, industry stakeholders and academic staff to reflect on the achievements of the three-year project and discuss strategies for sustaining its impact.

The Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and Chair of the Governing Board of the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF), Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, has urged Ghana to transform its food systems through science and innovation.

He made the call during his keynote address, themed “From Genes to Generations: Rethinking Food Systems for a Sustainable Africa,” at Ho Technical University (HTU) during the Food, Agriculture, Technology and Sustainability Conference.

Prof. Eric Danquah, Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has been recognised as one of Ghana’s 100 Most Influential People at the Ghana 100 Most Influential People Awards (MIPA), organised by the Business Executive Group.

The award ceremony, held on November 28, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), sought to honour individuals whose work has demonstrated excellence, innovation and contributed to Ghana’s development.

Dr. Pearl Abu, Team Lead of the Maize Breeding Programme at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has been awarded the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea Fellowship Programme for Young Women Scientists in Africa 2024.

Ghana must strategically invest in science and research to secure its long-term development, Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah has said. Speaking at the 10th Research Awards and Grants (RAG) Ceremony of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Danquah, Chair of the Ghana National Research Fund (GNRF) and Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), warned that without sustained funding, the country risks falling behind in innovation and competitiveness.

Prof. Eric Y. Danquah, Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana has been elected as a Fellow of The African Academy of Sciences (AAS).

The announcement of the 2025 AAS Fellowship cohort was made during the Science Forum South Africa 2025, following a highly competitive and rigorous selection process conducted by the AAS Governing Council.

Prof. Sanatu Mustapha Alidu, an alumna of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has led a team of researchers at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, to develop six new climate-smart, drought-tolerant cowpea varieties. This marks the first crop varieties ever released by UDS since its establishment over 30 years.

The African Plant Breeders Association (APBA) recently conferred a Meritorious Service Award on renowned Crop Scientist and 2022 Africa Food Prize Laureate, Prof. Eric Y. Danquah, Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana.

The award, according to the Association, recognises Prof. Danquah’s exceptional leadership and outstanding contribution to the establishment and growth of the APBA. It also acknowledges his pioneering efforts in championing agricultural innovation and advancing plant breeding science across Africa.