IITA technologies offer solutions to food losses and opportunities for young entrepreneurs

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), H.E. Ambassador Yaya Olaniran, has called for wider adoption of agricultural technologies developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to reduce food losses and create more opportunities for young entrepreneurs. During a courtesy and learning visit to IITA Headquarters in Ibadan from 27 to 30 August 2026, Olaniran, who was accompanied by his wife, Monilola Olaniran, toured selected IITA laboratories and facilities. These included those working on germplasm health and diagnostics, food and nutrition sciences, early-generation seed technologies, cassava and yam breeding and processing, Aflasafe, and youth agribusiness. He described what he saw as an impressive demonstration of how modern and affordable technologies could be applied to Nigeria’s staple crops and linked to agribusiness. Olaniran, however, stressed the need to do more to ensure that these technologies reach farmers, processors, and other value chain actors. “There should be an advocacy, a publicity that will bring this into the hands of the farmers, into the hands of the business people, and into the hands of processors,” he said. He stressed that increasing food production alone would not be enough if large volumes of produce continued to be lost or wasted after harvest. “It’s not enough to just produce and then have high level, high volume of food loss or food waste,” he said, adding that turning agricultural produce into different food products and snacks could make the difference between profitability and loss. According to him, putting the technologies he saw at IITA into practice could also reduce foreign exchange wastage and improve the livelihoods of farmers, particularly young entrepreneurs who would take over agricultural practices from older generations. He also called for collaboration between IITA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, saying this could increase the visibility of agricultural technologies and improve profitability for local farmers. Beyond technology development and adoption, Olaniran stressed the importance of following recommended agronomic practices, noting that simple decisions on the farm could directly affect yield and profit. “If your plant density is not correct, you have lost a good percentage of your yield and by extension, a good proportion of your profit,” he said. Olaniran noted that he would use his position and relationships to draw attention to areas requiring action and to support strategies for collaboration. He described the knowledge and technologies generated at IITA as public goods that Nigeria and other African countries should make the most of. “Let’s use what we have to get what we want,” he said.