Generation Challenge Programme

Cassava – Capacity building

In Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania, cassava researchers have benefited from physical infrastructure, as well as from GCP’s Genotyping Support Service (GSS), and GCP is also funding several postgraduate students working on cassava – including at least one in each of the four countries in the cassava community of practice (CoP),which includes Uganda.

An informatics and data management workshop was held for all four partner countries in Accra, Ghana, in July 2010.

The aim is to strengthen the capacity of country breeding programmes to combine both conventional and molecular breeding.

For the African cassava breeders Community of Practice (CoP) supported by the CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme (GCP), capacity development is important. “Capacity building is critical for the CoP, especially to use the products coming from GCP,” says Emmanuel Okogbenin, the CoP Coordinator.

He adds, “The common adage that people are the most important asset is not quite true. The right people are your most important asset. People with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.”

Postgraduate students from partner institutes supported by the cassava RI

Country	Student	Home institute	University	Course	Research area	Status
Ghana	Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah	SARI–CSIR	WACCI, University of Ghana	PhD	Genetic studies of cassava genotypes for improved productivity in the guinea savanna zone of northern Ghana	Enrolled in 2010
	Ruth Prempeh	CRI-CSIR	WACCI, University of Ghana	PhD	Genetic sutides on root quality trais in cassava with emphasis on postharvest physiological deterioration	Enrolled in 2009
	Bright Boakye Peprah	CRI-CSIR	University of Ghana	MSc	Genotype-by-environment effects on improved cassava varieties	Enrolled in 2008 (via CoP)
Nigeria	Bunmi Olasanmi	NRCRI	University of Ibadan, Nigeria	PhD	QTLs for early maturity for cassava	Completed in 2010 (enrolled via CoP)
Tanzania	Bernedetha Kimata	ARI-Tanzania	Egerton University, Kenya	MSc	Genetic linkage mapping of CBSD tolerance	Enrolled in 2009 (via CoP)
Uganda	Williams Esuma	NaCRRI	Makerere University, Uganda	MSc	Genetic diversity of yellow-root cassava germplasm in Uganda	Enrolled in 2009 (via CoP)

Infrastructure

Site-specific infrastructural development is planned for GCP Phase II, based on an ongoing needs assessment at research-station level. Thus far, infrastructural improvement includes:

2011: Topographic surveys, improved infrastructure (irrigation systems, fencing, and weather stations), and plot rehabilitation for partners in Ghana and Nigeria
2005–2006: GCP supported the establishment of a modest molecular breeding laboratory at NRCRI in Nigeria, and a marker-assisted selection laboratory at CRI–CSIR in Ghana.

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