The Director Center of Excellence for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University, Kano, Professor Jibrin Mohammed Jibrin has taken over as the new President of Food for West Africa. He has succeeded Professor Kokou Tona, the Director of Center of Excellence for Poultry Science (CERSA) of Togo.

The election took place at the end of the second general assembly of the network which was held in mixed mode (physical and virtual meeting) on December 1, 2022, at Abuja, Nigeria.

In his speech, the new President said he would do his utmost to accelerate the activities of the network in order to achieve its objectives. ‘I know that there are many challenges ahead of us, but with everyone's commitment, we will overcome them," said the network's newly elected president, Professor Jibrin.

The general assembly through the administrative secretary of the network, Prof. Kossi Métowogo, presented the activities and the financial reports, and the election of the new president of the network. During the round table discussions, the participants present at the assembly insisted on the ways and means to be adopted to accelerate the execution of the various activities assigned to the centers.

The assembly of agricultural Africa Centre’s of Excellence organized on the sidelines of the second edition of the congress the promotion of local African products and the mitigation of problems related to post-harvest losses organized by the Center of Excellence for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.

This edition was dedicated to local African foods, most of which are neglected, poorly preserved and vastly underutilized, despite their crucial role in food security, nutrition, medicinal values and income generation for humanity,” stated the organizers. According to them, “the promotion of these local dishes, especially amongst the rural dwellers, will not only help to sustainably fight against hunger in Africa but also to gain inclusion in the global food system”.

A special panel was devoted to the Food for West Africa network. It was a great opportunity for its leaders to present the objectives, missions, and actions of the network in favor of food sovereignty in Africa.

Food For West Africa is a group of seven centers (7) of excellence in Africa dedicated to the agricultural sector. The seven centers that make up the network are :

• Regional Center of Excellence for Poultry Science (CERSA) of Togo;
• Regional Center of Excellence on Pastoral Production (CERPP) in Niger;
• Centre For Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) of Nigeria;
• Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (CCBAD) of Côte d'Ivoire;
• African Center of Excellence in Dry Land Agriculture (CDA) of Nigeria;
• African Center of Excellence in Agriculture for Food and Nutritional Security (AGRISAN) of Senegal;
• West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) of Ghana.