Nestlé VP: IITA is a lighthouse for Africa and many other emerging economies

An elated Anne Roulin, Nestlé Vice President: Nutrition, Health & Wellness & Sustainability, has commended Dr Nteranya Sanginga, Director General of IITA, for his outstanding presentation during the conference Planting Seeds for the Future of Food
in Switzerland on 1-4 June. Dr Sanginga’s presentation to more than 150 participants from NGOs, the business world, and academia described IITA’s work, success stories, and model for eradicating youth unemployment in Africa.

Anne’s congratulatory message to Dr Sanginga read as follows: “After listening to so many ‘gloom and doom’ messages at other conferences, I was really encouraged to see that there is a whole series of potential technological solutions that can produce sustainable and nutritious foods in the future, even though the political and social issues are immense. The work you are doing at IITA is truly a lighthouse, not only for Africa but also for many other emerging economies. Hearing about the successes of your Agripreneurs brought tears of joy to my eyes and real hope for the future. Keep up the great work!”

Also, last month Dr Sanginga was a panelist at the 50th Annual Meeting organized by the African Development Bank, 26-29 May in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to discuss agribusiness potentials. He spoke extensively about how IITA continues to link and help young people to earn a decent living from the agricultural value chains. More information about the events are available here:  article and video.