ACU, IITA Move to Seal Strategic Partnership on Agriculture, Biotechnology and Innovation

Ajayi Crowther University and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture are advancing discussions on a broad-based partnership aimed at strengthening research, agripreneurship, and technology-driven education.

The push followed a high-level visit by ACU’s Vice-Chancellor, Ebunoluwa Oduwole, and her delegation to the institute’s headquarters in Ibadan, where both institutions explored collaboration across biotechnology, laboratory development, ICT, cybersecurity, and youth engagement in agriculture.

Receiving the team, IITA West Africa Director Michael Abberton outlined the institute’s strategic mandate, which centres on improving food security, reducing poverty, and enhancing livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa through sustainable agricultural innovation. He highlighted ongoing research into staple crops including cassava, yam, maize, cowpea, soybean, and plantain, alongside efforts in natural resource management and youth-focused agribusiness development.

Abberton noted that existing engagement between both institutions has already produced measurable outcomes, with 20 ACU students completing industrial training and SIWES placements at IITA. He added that three graduates have served at the institute under the National Youth Service Corps, while another three have participated as graduate interns.

In response, Oduwole positioned ACU as a fast-growing institution with a focus on teaching, research, and leadership development. She disclosed that the university currently operates 13 faculties and 45 accredited programmes across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is preparing for an upcoming accreditation exercise for its Medical Sciences programmes.

She stated that the primary objective of the engagement is to establish a mutually beneficial framework for research collaboration and academic exchange, with direct impact on student training and innovation capacity.

Faculty representatives, including Dean of Agriculture Moses Adebayo, Agricultural Economics Head Rhoda Adeniyi, and Crop and Animal Science Head Tolulope Faniyi, reinforced the need for a structured partnership that translates into practical benefits for students and faculty.

Abberton, in his closing remarks, advised against bureaucratic delays, stressing that implementation of joint initiatives should proceed alongside formal processes such as a Memorandum of Understanding.

The visit concluded with a guided tour of IITA’s research facilities, with both institutions signalling readiness to operationalise collaboration in agricultural research, skills development, and technological innovation.