By Lucy Ogalue
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Wednesday signed a five million Euro agreement to finance the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Phase II programme.
Dr Abdul Kamara, the Director-General, Nigeria AfDB Group, who said this at the signing ceremony, reaffirmed the AfDB’s commitment to advancing agricultural transformation across Africa.
Kamara said the agreement aligns with its Feed Africa strategy, which seeks to boost smallholder farmers’ productivity and enhance food security.
He said the additional financing built on the 40 million dollars provided for Phase I of TAAT would focus on expanding access to agricultural technologies for over 40 million smallholder farmers across the continent.
According to him, the TAAT programme is not just an agricultural initiative but a transformational effort aimed at enhancing food security, strengthening climate resilience, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
”This Additional Financing of the TAAT Programme, is building on Phase I, which the Bank funded with 40 million dollars, and Phase II with 27 million dollars implemented by IITА (as lead implementer), working closely with other CGIAR Centers and National Agricultural Research Institutions in many countries.
“This Additional Financing of the TAAT Phase II Programme is financed with five million Euro grant from the Donor Contributions Window of the Transition Support Facility (TSF), thanks to the generous contribution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“TAAT Phase II will focus on empowering low-income African countries by increasing productivity, strengthening food systems, improving farmers’ incomes, and positioning Africa to become a net food exporter.”
The director-general added that the programme would support activities such as farmer capacity building, digital agriculture solutions, extension services, and private sector investment in agricultural value chains.
He reiterated AfDB’s commitment to supporting agricultural research and innovation to drive Africa’s food security agenda, emphasising that TAAT remained a key instrument in achieving the continent’s long-term agricultural goals.
Also speaking, the IITA Director-General, Dr Simeon Ehui, commended AfDB for its sustained partnership and leadership in driving Africa’s agricultural transformation.
Ehui reaffirmed IITA’s commitment to working with CGIAR Centers, National Agricultural Research Institutions, and the private sector to ensure the success of the programme.
According to Ehui, TAAT has already demonstrated the power of science-driven solutions in improving productivity, strengthening food systems, and enhancing farmers’ resilience to climate change.
He highlighted the successes of TAAT Phase I, which included the facilitation of the scaling of improved seed varieties, climate-smart practices, and mechanisation solutions to millions of farmers.
For Phase II, he said efforts would focus on accelerating the deployment of agricultural technologies, strengthening partnerships, promoting youth and women engagement in agribusiness, and enhancing food and nutrition security.
“With this grant, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering impact-driven agricultural solutions. The journey ahead requires sustained investment, policy support, and strong collaboration,” IITA director-general said.
He said that IITA would continue working closely with AfDB and other stakeholders to ensure the programme contributes to reduction of food imports and unlocks Africa’s agricultural potential. NAN
