20 May 2011
Ibadan, Nigeria: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has named Dr Nteranya E. Sanginga as the new director general. 'Dr Sanginga was selected from an outstanding group. His achievements in reinvigorating the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute (TBSF) of the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), and tropical experience make him an ideal choice to take on the much broader task of guiding IITA into the next decade,' says Dr Bryan Harvey, chair of IITA’s board, today. 'We are confident that under his administration IITA will continue the outstanding work the Institute does in improving the lives of the tropical people in Africa and throughout the world,' he adds. Currently serving as the director of the Nairobi-based CIAT-TBSF, Dr Sanginga has more than 21 years of experience with the University of Zimbabwe, IITA, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria, and CIAT-TSBF, in agricultural research and development, particularly in the fields of applied microbial ecology, plant nutrition, and integrated natural resources management in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Born and bred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Dr Sanginga did most of his postgraduate training at IITA and his PhD in Agronomy/Soil Microbiology under a joint program between IITA and the Institut Facultaire des Sciences Agronomiques, Yangambi, DRC. He has extensive skills in research management, developing partnerships and institutional linkages, and institution building. Under his leadership, the CIAT-TSBF portfolio rose from $1.2 million in 2003 to over $14.5 million in 2010, and its research-fordevelopment agenda expanded from focusing on western Kenya to covering the major agroecosystems of east, central, and southern Africa.
Click here to view press release on the IITA website | pdf