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WACCI Holds Workshop On The Africa Centres Of Excellence Project

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) held a two day workshop on February 1 and 2, 2014 at the Forest Hotel, Dodowa on the Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project.

Opening the workshop, Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, Director of WACCI, welcomed participants and expressed his delight at WACCI’s success in securing the ACE grant.  He said the purpose of the workshop was to review the ACE proposal and to develop the Seed Science and Technology Curriculum and an Implementation Plan for the project.  Professor Danquah added that he hoped participants would find the time at Dodowa worthwhile.

Presentations were delivered by Dr. Agyemang Danquah, Coordinator, Teaching Programme, WACCI, Dr. Daniel Dzidzienyo, Coordinator, Research Programme, WACCI, and Mr. Yaw Brako Osei-Tutu, a Financial Consultant on the WACCI-ACE Project in the morning session of the first day. They addressed the MPhil Seed Science and Technology Curriculum, Results Framework and Financing Modality for the Africa Centres of Excellence Project respectively. These were followed by discussions. In the afternoon participants brainstormed on a draft Implementation Plan and developed a template for finalizing it. The template comprised planned results, activities, estimated budget and indicators of the project activities. The second day of the workshop focused on group assignments to finalise documents for the MPhil Seed Science and Technology Curriculum and Implementation Plan. Then followed a plenary session to discuss the template documents. Other issues deliberated upon at the workshop included the sustainability of WACCI, Comprehensive Examinations for WACCI PhD students, supervision of students undertaking field research and oral examinations for the WACCI second cohort who submitted their theses in December 2013. At the end of the workshop participants were content with the outcome. Deadlines were set for completing final drafts of all documents.

   

 

Participants interacting at the workshop during a tea break

Participants at the workshop included Prof. Samuel K. Offei, Provost of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, Interim Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, and Associate Director I, WACCI;  Prof. Kwadwo Ofori, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, University of Ghana and Associate Faculty of WACCI; Prof. John Ofosu-Anim, Dean of the School of Agriculture, University of Ghana; and Prof. Vernon Gracen, Emeritus Professor of Cornell University and Associate Director II, WACCI; and Dr. Christiana Amoatey, Head of the Crop Science Department, University of Ghana. Others were Prof. Jonathan Ayertey; Prof. Essie Blay; Prof. Frank Kumaga; Dr. Naalamle Amissah; and Dr. Agyemang Danquah, Coordinator of the Teaching Programme at WACCI (all Faculty of the Department of Crop Science and Associate Faculty at WACCI), Dr. Daniel Dzidzienyo of the Biotechnology Centre, CACS and Coordinator of the Research Programme at WACCI; Prof. Kwadwo Asante, Department of Botany, University of Ghana; Dr. Edmund Darkwa, Consultant-Plant Pathologist; and Dr. Ben Banful, Head of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. The rest were Mr. Sampson Addo, Research Development Officer, CACS, University of Ghana; Mr. Yaw Brako Osei-Tutu, a Chartered Global Management Accountant and Financial Consultant, ACE Project,; Mrs. Jennifer Saint Acquaye, Administrative Officer; Mr. Eddie Salakpi, IT Officer; Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Finance Officer; Ms. Jennifer Anafo, NSP-Resource Mobilisation; Ms. Gifty Ofori-Adu, NSP-Finance; Ms. Nancy Agana, NSP-Administration; and Mr. Emmanuel Twum, NSP-Programme Coordination (all of WACCI).

 

Participants of the workshop in a group photograph

WACCI

The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), a partnership between the University of Ghana (UG) and Cornell University, USA was established in June 2007 with initial funding from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The first cohort of eight students graduated in July 2013; the second cohort of 10 students is expected to graduate in July 2014. Currently, 49 students are at various stages of their PhD training at WACCI. The Centre has been selected as one of 15 Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) to be established by the World Bank under the World Bank-AAU ACE project.

The Africa Centres of Excellence Project

WACCI is to receive about $8 million to bolster postgraduate programmes, improve curricula, attract Visiting Scientists from Advanced Laboratories, offer specialised courses for research scientists, expand research capacity, and work with industry and other academic partners in the region. Having recognised the dire need for plant breeders, WACCI will continue to admit students into the innovative PhD in Plant Breeding programme. The aim is to train plant breeders who will be at the forefront of developing superior climate-smart and resilient varieties of staple crops to increase productivity in West and Central Africa. The Centre will also run an innovative Master’s programme in Seed Science and Technology (SST) to complement the plant breeding programme.