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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu Chairman Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, a Professor of Entomology, is Vice-Chancellor of University of Ghana. Having pursued undergraduate studies at University of Ghana where he received a Bachelor of Science degree, he obtained a Master of Science degree and a PhD in Entomology (gold medal award) from Kochi University, Japan in 1995. He has over 120 scientific publications and conference papers in internationally recognized journals. Prof Owusu is a member of numerous local and international organizations/bodies such as the Entomological Society of Ghana, Entomological Society of America, Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology, Ghana Science Association, African Association of Insect Scientists, International Society of Pest information (ISPI), as well as fellow of Toyota Foundation.
Dr. Agnes Kalibata Guest of Honour As President of AGRA, Dr. Kalibata leads the organization’s efforts with public and private partners to ensure a food secure and prosperous Africa through rapid, sustainable agricultural growth, improving the productivity and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. Prior to joining AGRA in September 2014, Dr. Kalibata was Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI). In this role, she was widely considered to be one of the most successful Agriculture Ministers in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Kalibata has held several other leadership positions, including Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Rwanda. She also worked for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Uganda, and various other agricultural development organizations. She sits on various boards including the International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC), Bioversity International, Africa Risk Capacity, the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, and is a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum. Dr. Kalibata has a distinguished track record as an agricultural scientist, policy maker and thought leader. She holds a doctorate in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Hon. Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto Special Guest
Hon. Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto is Minister of Food and Agriculture, Republic of Ghana and a twoterm Member of Parliament for Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region and became the Ranking Member for the Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs from 2013 to 2017. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Cambridge University, UK. He worked and consulted extensively as an Economist, Senior Economist, Principal Economist, and Chief Economic Advisor for the International Coffee Organization, the World Bank, United Nations on Soft Commodities (Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar).
Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta Special Guest Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta is the Minister of Finance, Republic of Ghana. He is an economist and an Investment Banker and co-founder of Databank in Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University (1984) and an MBA from the Yale University School of Management. The honourable minister is a fellow of the Aspen Institute, the first African Donaldson Fellow at Yale University and a recipient of the John Jay Award from Columbia University. He was until his retirement on February 14, 2012 Executive Chairman of the Databank Group (an investment banking firm) in Ghana. He is a former Chairman of Council of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana and also served as a member of University of Ghana Council from 2010 and 2014.
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Hon. Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh. Special Guest Hon. Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh is the Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana and represents the Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region. He is a Medical Doctor and obtained a degree in Human Biology (MB CHB) from KNUST in 1994. He read for an MSc (Chemical Epidemiology) from the Netherlands Institute for Health Science in 1998 and was inducted into the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom in 2002. He has also studied Leadership and Government at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. As a Member of Parliament, he has served on committees such as Health, Appointments, Special Budget, and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Prof. Koen Lamberts Special Guest Prof. Koen Lamberts is Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of York. He is Chair of the N8 Research Partnership, the Employers Pension Forum for Higher Education, Yorkshire Universities and the UK Council for International Student Affairs. He is also a Board Member of the Russell Group, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, the Outward Mobility Strategy Board, Universities and Colleges Employers Association, the White Rose University Consortium and the Worldwide Universities Network. Professor Lamberts was born i n Hasselt, Belgium; he holds undergraduate degrees in Philosophy (1985) and Psychology (1987) and a PhD in Experimental Psychology (1992) from the University of Leuven. Following a research appointment at the University of Chicago, he became a lecturer at the University of Birmingham in 1992. He was Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Warwick from 2000 to 2013. At Warwick, he served as Faculty Chair for Science, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research (Science & Medicine) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Provost. Professor Lamberts has a track record of experimental research into cognitive processes in perception, memory and decision making, and of mathematical and computational modelling of these processes. He has collaborated with commercial and industrial partners in applied research that has focussed on consumer behaviour and product design. He was a recipient of the British Psychological Society’s Cognitive Award (1996) and of the Experimental Psychology Society Prize (1997).
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Joseph DeVries Special Guest
Dr. Joseph DeVries is the Vice President for Program Development and Innovation at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Dr. DeVries, a citizen of the USA, began his career in Africa in 1986 as a United Nations volunteer building irrigated rice systems in drought-afflicted areas of West Africa's northern Sahel region. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he delivered seed of staple food crops and technical assistance to Mozambican farmers trapped behind the front lines of the country's civil war. He earned a PhD in plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University in 1994, after which he joined World Vision I n t e r n a t i o n a l as Director for Food Security in Africa, based in Accra, Ghana, leading the development of agricultural relief and development activities in 20 countries. In 1997, he joined The Rockefeller Foundation, where he developed a new initiative on genetic improvement of African crops and a farmer-responsive seed system. In 2006, he led a team that developed the strategy for the “Program for African Seed Systems” (PASS), which became the first program of the newlyformed AGRA. Over a period of 10 years, the PASS initiative invested nearly $300 million in the development of public crop breeding and private sector-led seed supply in 18 countries. In 2016, 130 private, independent seed companies supported by AGRA produced 126,000 MT of certified seed.
Ms. Eva Rothenpieler-Dione Special Guest Ms. Eva Rothenpieler is programme officer for the DAAD Scholarship Programmes In-Country/InRegion in West and Central Africa, promoting PhD and Master studies. Further, she is responsible for Postdoctoral Fellowships in Sub Saharan Africa and Germany, as well as the Staff Exchange Programme in Sub Saharan Africa. Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, these programmes are designed to strengthen higher education and research within the Region. Before joining the DAAD, Ms. Rothenpieler was engaged as program assistant for International Affairs at the German Research Foundation (DFG), with a special emphasis on South East Asia and Latin America.
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Mr. Alhassan Andani Special Guest Mr. Alhassan Andani serves as the Managing Director, Chief Executive and Executive Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited. He holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Ghana and a Master's Degree in Banking and Finance from the Finafrica Institute in Italy. Mr. Andani has been an Independent Non-Executive Director at Gold Fields Limited since 2016 and is a former Executive Director of Barclays Bank of Ghana Ltd.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Scott J. Angle Speaker
Dr. Scott J. Angle received his BS and MS at the University of Maryland in Agronomy and Soil Science, respectively. He obtained his PhD from the University of Missouri with an emphasis on Soil Microbiology. Angle worked for 24 years as a Professor of Soil Science and administrator (Director of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station and Maryland Cooperative Extension) at the University of Maryland. His early work focused on the study of losses of nutrients from agro-ecosystems. He also has extensive experience on the study of organic wastes, primarily biosolids, on agriculture systems and the environment. This led him into the study of impacts of biosolids-borne micronutrients, especially heavy metals, on the environment, with a focus on metal impacts on soil microbes and their functions. Later he concentrated his studies on phytoremediation, the use of plants for extraction of heavy metals from soil. In 2005, he moved to Athens, Georgia, where he served as Dean and Director of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia for 10 years. He is a fellow in the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He is also a Fulbright Fellow having worked at the Rothamsted (Research) Experimental Station, in the UK. Currently, he is the President and CEO of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), where he oversees a staff of over 800 and coordinates development projects in diverse regions of the world. IFDC provides solutions to alleviate global hunger and poverty through the promotion of economic development and self- sufficiency
Dr. Ronnie W. Coffman Speaker
Dr. Ronnie W. Coffman serves as the Andrew H. & James S. Tisch Distinguished University Professor, International Professor of Plant Breeding and Director of International Programs of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. He also serves as Principal Investigator of the Agricultural Innovation Partnership, the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project, Delivering Genetic Gains in Wheat project and the Next Generation Cassava project. With Jeanie Borlaug Laube as Chair, he serves as Vice Chair of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. Previous positions include Associate Dean for Research and Director, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station; Chair of the Department
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
of Plant Breeding and Genetics at Cornell University, and Plant Breeder at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Coffman's work has been important to the development of improved rice varieties grown on several million hectares throughout the world. He has collaborated extensively with institutions in the developing world and has served as a board member for several international institutes, including the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA), and the Council of Advisors of the World Food Prize. In October of 2013 Coffman was awarded the Inaugural World Agriculture Prize by the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for the Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), sponsored by Nanjing Agricultural University. His Ph.D. is from Cornell University (thesis research supervised by Norman Borlaug in Mexico) and undergraduate work was done at the University of Kentucky, his home state.
Prof. Eric Danquah Speaker
Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah is the Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement. He is also a Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics at the Department of Crop Science, University of Ghana. He is a recipient of the University of Ghana Distinguished Award for Meritorious Service, 2013 and a former Dean of International Programmes of the University of Ghana. He serves as Principal Investigator of several donor-funded projects. His early work in the 1990s focused on the study of molecular diversity and mutagenesis in cocoyam and other staple crops. This funded research contributed significantly to the establishment of the Biotechnology Centre, University of Ghana where he also serves as the current Director. He is a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth and Cambridge Philosophical Societies and a former Chairman of Council of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana. He holds a BSc. Degree in Agriculture (Crop Science) from the University of Ghana and an MPhil degree in Plant Breeding and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge, UK.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Eugene Terry Speaker Dr. Eugene Terry, a Sierra Leonean national, has held leadership positions in agricultural institutional management, and agricultural research institutes in Africa and internationally. From 1973 -1984 Dr. Terry worked as a Plant Pathologist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and in 1984-1987 assumed the position as IITA’s Director, International Programs and Training. In 1987 Dr. Terry was appointed the first Director General of the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA now the CGIAR’s AfricaRice Centre), where he led the development of a World Class rice research centre of excellence in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire. Dr. Terry worked at the World Bank from 19972002, and has chaired and/or served as a member of various Boards of Trustees of international organizations, including that of the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA). In 2002 was appointed the founding Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). Dr. Terry is currently, the Chair of the Advisory Panel of the Bioscience East and Central Africa (BecA-ILRI Hub), the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI, University of Ghana, Accra), and a member of the CGIAR Systems Management Board (CGIAR-SMB) –the governing body of the CGIAR System organization. Dr. Terry holds a BSc in Agriculture (1964) and an MSc in Plant Pathology (1966) from McGill University in Montreal, and a PhD (1970) in Plant Pathology from the University of Illinois, Urban-Champaign. He is the author/co-author of forty-five (45) scientific publications, book chapters, and scholarly articles. Eugene published his memoirs “Footsteps – An African Journey” in 2014.
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Victor K. Agyeman Co-Chair Dr. Victor K. Agyeman is the Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He is a Chief Research Scientist and a leading authority on Tropical Forest Ecology in Africa. He holds a B.Sc (Hons) and M.Phil in Natural Resources Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and a Ph.D from the University of Aberdeen, UK. He is also a Barrister-at-Law. Dr. Agyeman has served on many boards across Africa and the world and has been the chairperson of the Forestry Research Network of Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA) from 2009. He has authored one hundred and twenty-eight (128) edited Journal publications, books, monographs and research reports to his credit.
Dr. Vernon E. Gracen Co-Chair
Dr. Vernon E. Gracen, an Emeritus Professor of Plant Breeding at Cornell University, is the former Associate Director in charge of supervising the curriculum for first year courses and second year advanced modules offered at the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) in Accra, Ghana. As an expert in maize breeding, international agriculture and research management, Professor Gracen has held many administrative positions related to research management and education all over the world. Prior to joining WACCI, he was a researcher in maize breeding for disease and insect resistance (1970 to 1987). He also worked on cassava and other international crops at Cornell University. He was the Vice President and Director of Worldwide Research and Development for Cargill Hybrid Seeds from 1986 to 1998 where he managed research in 26 countries worldwide. Since 2002, He has primarily been involved in teaching and supervising graduate students in Africa and Thailand. Currently, he is owner and principal scientist at VG Genetics, Inc. He continues to teach and supervise students as a Senior Associate Professor at WACCI and visiting scientist at the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology at Kasetsart University in Thailand.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Rufaro Madakadze Co-Chair
Dr. Rufaro Madakadze is a program officer in charge of Capacity Building at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The Capacity Building initiatives of AGRA aims to develop the skill sets and capabilities required to promote a value-chain driven transformation of the smallholder based agriculture in SSA. Before this she managed the Education for Africa’s Crop Improvement (since 2008) a sub-program that managed the training of plant scientists responsible for developing improved crop varieties and improving seed systems in Africa. She has managed over 17 training programs in 15 countries in Africa overseeing the training of over 1600 people from 18 countries (600 post graduate students (MSc and PhD) and +1000 people trained in short term courses ranging from 1 week to 5 weeks) in the African seed sector. She is a seed scientist with a passion for working with smallholder farmers. Dr. Madakadze is a Zimbabwean national and a horticultural scientist trained at Michigan State University (USA) and the University of Guelph, Ontario (Canada) majoring in seed physiology and technology. She has taught crop sciences at the University of Zululand, South Africa and the University of Zimbabwe for 18 years and has mentored many post graduate students. She was the Head of the Department of Crop Science at the University of Zimbabwe for 3 years before moving to South Africa in 2005. She sat on the Agriculture Panel of the National Research Foundation (an institution that supports most of the research in South Africa) evaluating proposals for funding. She was also a member of the CTA Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Afican, Carribean and Pacific (ACP) countries for 5 years and was on the planning committee of the African Crop Science Society.
Prof. Samuel K. Offei Co-Chair
Prof. Samuel K. Offei is the Pro ViceChancellor for Academic and Student Affairs in the University of Ghana. Prof. Offei has held key administrative positions in the University of Ghana. He was a founding Associate Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, and Director of the Biotechnology Centre, University of Ghana from 2005 to 2014. He served as Dean of School of Agriculture from 2006 to 2011 and
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Provost for the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences from 2011-2013. He was appointed as the interim Provost for College of Basic and Applied Sciences in 2013 to oversee the establishment of the new College under the University of Ghana Collegiate system. His research efforts led to the establishment of the Biotechnology Centre and contributed significantly to the establishment of the West Africa Centre of Crop Improvement in the University of Ghana. His research areas have focused on dissection of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, development of molecular diagnostic probes for plant microbes, and integration of biological and social science in the implementation of research. He holds a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Ghana a MPhil in Plant Virology and a PhD in Molecular Virology from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London.
Dr. Agyemang Danquah Speaker
Dr. Agyemang Danquah is a lecturer at the Department of Crop Science, University of Ghana. He also serves as the Coordinator for Teaching Programme and Curriculum Development at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and an instructor on Genomics and Biotechnology on the PhD programme. He obtained his BSc (Agriculture) and MPhil (Crop Science) from the University of Ghana (UG), Legon. As part of his master programme, he spent a year at the University of Virginia, USA, as a graduate research assistant studying drought tolerance mechanisms in cowpea. He obtained his PhD from the Université Paris Sud, France. His research thesis, which was part of a multilateral European (ADYSARC) project, was aimed at deciphering the molecular basis of plant responses to combination of multiple abiotic stresses. He was part of the team that developed the innovative MPhil Seed Science and Technology curriculum under the World Bank Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) project to train seed scientists and technologists for Africa and coordinates the programme. His research focus is primarily on using Demand-Led Plant Breeding approaches to develop improved varieties of tomato for Ghana. Dr. Danquah has been a key member of a Consortium funded by the Alliance for Food Security of Australia that has developed a module on Demand-Led Plant Breeding for equipping practicing plant breeders and students of plant breeding with the knowledge and skills needed for variety design and product development for markets. He is currently coordinating a major public private partnership between WACCI and the Syngenta Company to identify new tomato varieties for Ghana and beyond.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Vivienne Anthony Speaker
Dr. Vivienne Anthony has worked at the cutting edge of private sector agricultural research and development for over twenty years. She is the Senior Scientific Advisor in the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) on crop genetic improvement for smallholder farmers in developing countries. She works with both public and private R&D organisations to enable innovative technology to reach smallholders, particularly in Africa. SFSA is partnering with WACCI on creating, promoting and using an innovative education module on market-led approaches to new variety design to encourage greater adoption of new improved varieties by smallholder farmers in Africa. Within the Foundation she is also responsible for crop biodiversity and biotechnology stewardship using her experience in previous senior management roles in Crop Enhancement Research in Zeneca, and in Syngenta as Global Head of Crop Protection Product Development and Regulatory Affairs for Seeds and Biotechnology. She spent her early research years in fungicide invention, has a PhD in Plant Pathology from University of Wales, Bangor, UK and a Masters degree in Business Management from Boston University, USA.
Dr. Karen Duca Speaker
Dr. Karen Duca, a physical chemist by training, serves as a technical advisor to the Feed the Future Human and Institutional Capacity Building team in the Bureau for Food Security (BFS) at USAID in Washington, DC. Her expertise is in the area of agricultural education and training, work force development, entrepreneurship, and capacity development more generally. Before coming to BFS she was an Associate Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Food Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, where she advised aspiring life science entrepreneurs. She was also the CEO and co-founder of Metanoia Educational and Research Solutions, a consultancy based in Ghana that provides educational consulting services, exchange program facilitation, outreach services, and research for K-tertiary education and the private sector. She has served as the President and a Director of the Ghana Biomedical Research Network, a professional
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
society based in Ghana that is dedicated to the advancement of public health in West Africa and the continent at large. She is also on the Board of Directors and advisor to NouViva Food Innovations Ghana and Prudent Health Foundation Ghana, social enterprises founded by her former students. A passionate teacher, she has taught a range of courses from physical chemistry and neutraceuticals to research methods, scientific writing, and bioethics. Her research spanned multiple STEAM disciplines and addressed a broad range of questions, from host-pathogen interactions to digital image processing
Prof. Rose Emma Mamaa Entsua-Mensah Speaker
Prof. Rose Emma Mamaa Entsua-Mensah is the Deputy-Director General (Research) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. She has done extensive research on lagoons and fresh water bodies in Ghana and other countries in West Africa, documenting fish species and providing knowledge on their ecology and traditional management and has assessed the status of freshwater fishes in West Africa for IUCN. She has several publications and books to her credit. She was among the few African Scientists involved in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2004-2005. She was instrumental in setting up the CSIR College of Science and Technology. She is a Member of Board of Trustees of the World Fish Centre and is on the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development International Steering Committee. She was awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award in 1978 and the Tonolli Memorial Award for Limnologists in 1994. The Ministry of Women and Children, Ghana gave her an Award of Excellence in March 2012 for her research activities and the University of Cape Coast in September 2012 awarded her as one of their Distinguished Alumini and in October 2013 she was given an Award by the magazine Creating Excellence in Organizations in South Africa as one of the most influential Women in Agricultural Research in Africa. She is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. She holds a B.Sc in (Zoology), Diploma in Education, M.Sc. (Aquatic Biology) from the University of Cape Coast and a Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the University of Ghana. She also holds a Certificate in Aquatic Resource Management from the University of Hull, UK, as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from GIMPA.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Peter Goldsmith Speaker
Dr. Peter Goldsmith is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois and serves as the Principal Investigator of USAID’s Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab, AKA SIL, SIL provides the expertise, technical support, and evidence for improved decision-making and policy for those working to develop and utilize soybean in the developing world. Dr. Goldsmith is a fellow of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, and serves as the director of the Food and Agribusiness program at the University of Illinois.
Prof. Ian Graham Speaker
Based at the University of York, Ian is proud to be Head of the Department of Biology, which has a world-class international profile that enables top quality research outputs with real world benefits beyond academia. He also holds the Weston Chair of Biochemical Genetics at the University of York, with his research team based in the Biology Department’s Centre for Novel Agricultural Products. During his career Ian has made major contributions to our understanding of plant metabolism and seed biology. Transformative research published i n high impact journals has shed new light on the production of small molecule natural products from plants such as the anti-cancer compound noscapine, morphinan- based analgesics such as codeine and morphine and the antimalarial drug artemisinin. He led the way in the genetic dissection of lipid mobilization in Arabidopsis oilseeds and most recently has discovered a role for oxylipins in controlling seed germination. Ian also leads the BBSRC funded High Value Chemicals from Plants Network in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. Funding for Ian’s research comes from a range of sources including industry, UK Government including BBSRC, EU, UK and overseas charities. In 2016 Ian was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). He has also been awarded the Biochemical Society’s 2017 Heatley Medal and Prize for exceptional work in applying advances in biochemistry, particularly in developing practical uses that have created widespread benefits and value for society.
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Mr. Samson Konlan Speaker
Mr. Samson Konlan serves as a Program Manager for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ghana. He has more than 12 years of experience overseeing and managing international development initiatives aimed at enhancing the use of technologies to increase productivity among African farmers. Currently, Konlan manages Ghana’s Feed the Future activities on agricultural research and development targeted towards growing the country’s nascent seed industry. He also provides leadership in the implementation of one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest input delivery projects to date. Prior to joining USAID, Konlan served as a Programme Officer for Agricultural and Rural Development for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He holds a B.S. degree in Agricultural Technology from the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana, and a Commonwealth Executive Masters of Public Administration (CEMPA), from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana.
Prof. Mark Laing Speaker
Prof. Mark D. Laing is a Senior Professor and Chair of Plant Pathology at the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He also serves as the Director of the African Centre for Crop Improvement at the University. He serves as Principal Investigator of several fundedprojects and has collaborated with several institutions to develop innovative solutions to grand challenges. His research interests are in the areas of developing crops for food security with emphasis on abiotic and biotic stresses. He also has interests in biofuel crops and ornamentals. He has published extensively and supervised several post graduate students. Under his leadership, the ACCI has successfully trained and graduated 84 PhD students from 14 African countries and released 220 cultivars. He holds a BSc. degree, a BSc. Honours degree and a PhD from the University of Natal, South Africa.
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Anniversary Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Dr. Rita Mumm Speaker
Dr. Rita Mumm is a geneticist and plant breeder on faculty at the University of Illinois in the Department of Crop Sciences. She joined academia in 2008 to lead the establishment of the Illinois Plant Breeding Center at the University of Illinois. Prior to that, she led teams in the seed industry at the forefront of applications. Dr. Mumm is the Education and Training Lead for the USAID Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab. She is principal at GeneMax Services, a consulting firm to the seed industry, and she serves as a Trustee of CIMMYT.
Mr. Arthur Schröder Speaker
Mr. Arthur Schröder grew up in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He completed his B.Sc. Agriculture in Crop Science at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg and then went on to complete his M.Sc. Agriculture also at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg in 1994 with the title ‘The Physiological Role of Calcium, Nickel and Molybdenum in the Growth and Development of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)’. After completing his M.Sc. Arthur started his career with Pannar in Greytown, South Africa where he was responsible for developing white and yellow corn inbreds and hybrids for the South African market. During this time he also had the responsibility of developing corn hybrids for southern Europe and the South of Argentina. In 2005 Arthur was promoted to Corn Program Leader where he was responsible for co-ordinating the South African Breeding program with 6 Corn Breeders reporting to him. In January 2008 Arthur accepted a Commercial Breeder position with Monsanto, South Africa where he continued to focus on developing white and yellow hybrids for the South African farmer. Arthur accepted the role of Africa Corn Breeding Lead in February 2009 where he manages a breeding team that is responsible for developing products for Africa which includes South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania.
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Prof. Pangirayi Tongoona Speaker
Prof. Pangirayi Tongoona studied Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University of Zimbabwe with course work done at Michigan State University and graduated in 1987. He is a Visiting Scholar at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana (2014-date) where he is the Associate Director of Breeding Programmes and teaches courses in Genetics and Plant Breeding. He holds the position of Honorary Professor from the University of KwaZuluNatal (UKZN). Previously he was a full professor of Plant Breeding at the UKZN from 2005-2014; Senior Lecturer (2003-2005, UKZN); Senior Lecturer (1995-2003, UZ) and Lecturer (1987-1995, UZ). He has developed and taught courses in Plant Breeding and Genetics at UZ, University of Botswana, UKZN, Makerere University and University of Ghana. He has supervised 62 PhD and 25 MSc/MPhil students who have successfully graduated. He has authored and co-authored 85 articles in peer reviewed journals, 32 chapters in books, and more than 40 conference presentations. He has raised a total of about $2 million in research funds on castor (Ricinus communis), wheat (Triticum aestivum), Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) and maize (Zea mays). He has been a Visiting Scholar to Michigan State University, University of Botswana, Cornell University, Makerere University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University and Sokoine University of Agriculture. He is a member of African Crop Science Society, South African Plant Breeders Association and a Review Editor of Frontiers in Plant Science Journal.
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Prof. Kwadwo Ofori Rapporteur-General
Prof. Kwadwo Ofori holds a BSc. (Agric.) degree from the University of Ghana and postgraduate degrees in Genetics and Plant Breeding from University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He is currently an Associate Professor and Associate Director for Academic and Student Affairs at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Ghana. His previous position was Dean, School of Graduate Studies, University of Ghana. Kwadwo Ofori has had a fruitful and enjoyable career in academia over the past 27 years. He has been a team member of several national agricultural research programs. As an advocate for the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources, he works closely with the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute of Ghana. He is one of the initial members of the African Knowledge Transfer Partnership aimed at forging a sustainable relationship between academia and industry. Prof. Kwadwo Ofori has over 60 academic publications to his credit. He was adjudged the best teacher in science at the University of Ghana in the 2008 academic year. He has served as a consultant biometrician to several research institutes in Ghana and other West African countries.
Dr. John Eleblu Rapporteur
Dr. John Eleblu holds a PhD degree in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Paris Sud, Orsay in France. He was trained as an Agriculturist at the undergraduate level with specialization in Crop Science at the University of Ghana. At the post-graduate level, he specialized in Genetics and Breeding at the University of Ghana. He won the African Scientist Award and served as a Visiting Research Scientist under the African Research Fellowship of the Institute for Genomic Diversity (IGD), Cornell University where he managed a research project on the genetic contributions of PINNOID genes in Maize plant and kernel architecture development (Cornell University, 2007 – 2008). In 2014, After John was awarded the PhD in France, John worked as a post-doctoral scientist in the lab of his PhD supervisor, Dr. Abdelhafid Bendahmane. His post-doctoral studies involved analysis of gene expression to understand the molecular basis of parthenocarpy (seedlessness) in tomatoes at the famous Crop Genomics laboratory (located at INRA, URGV in France). His current research interests are in the
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Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
Quality Plant Breeding Education in Africa
genetic improvement of legumes and cucurbits for food and nutrition security in Africa. In February 2015, John was appointed a Lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre, University of Ghana and he also serves as the Coordinator of Research Programmes, Francophone Africa for WACCI. He has won four outstanding grants/fellowships [USDA Norman Borlaug Fellowship, Alcorn State University, 2016; French Government Scholarships, France 2009; University of Ghana Faculty Development Grant, 2009; African Scientist Fellowship Programme, Cornell University (IGD) 2007]
Dr. Beatrice E. Ifie Rapporteur
Dr. Beatrice E. Ifie is a maize breeder with research focus on improving maize for high yield, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in tropical environments using conventional and modern plant breeding techniques. Beatrice teaches postgraduate courses such as evolution of crop plants, plant breeding methods, breeding for biotic and abiotic stresses, breeding for enduser traits, molecular markers and marker assisted selection. She co-supervises M.Phil and PhD students’ research projects. Beatrice received her BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and PhD from the University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. She is an alumna of WACCI
Dr. Daniel K. Dzidzienyo Rapporteur
Dr. Daniel K. Dzidzienyo is a Lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon. He is also the Deputy Centre Leader of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) – Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) Project and doubles as an Associate Lecturer and Coordinator for Research Programmes, Anglophone Africa at WACCI. Prior to his appointment as Lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre, he was a Part-Time Teaching Assistant and a Postgraduate Assistant at the Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Dzidzienyo is a member of the WACCI Management Committee, College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) Academic Board, CBAS Research Board and the UG Academic Board. He holds a BSc. in Agriculture from the University of Ghana, Legon, MSc. in Plant Genetic Manipulations and PhD in Plant Sciences (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) from the University of Nottingham, UK. His research interest includes the integration of modern molecular tools for developing resilient varieties of root and tuber crops for food and nutrition security in Africa
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