International Plant Nutrition Institute Expands Its African Programs

 The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) has recently expanded its activity in Africa, a move that has established a new program in West Africa and added new agronomic staff to its East and Southern Africa (formerly Sub-Saharan Africa) program. The expansion has been spurred by a grant provided by OCP S.A.

 “We are pleased to start this special relationship with OCP S.A., which allows our Institute to better address the needs for research and education throughout the African continent,” said Dr. Terry Roberts, IPNI president. “This expanded capacity will be a great complement to our current activities in North (led by Dr. Mohamed El Gharous since 2013) and East and Southern Africa (led by Dr. Shamie Zingore since 2010) and will benefit all IPNI members.”

New Program in West Africa

 IPNI has established a new West African program, a region covering the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

 Dr. Thérèse Atcham Agneroh has been hired as deputy director of this new program based out of the National Polytechnique Institute Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. Dr. Ageroh is currently Associate Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Phytopathology and Plant Biology at INP-HB. She holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Phytopathology from the University of Minnesota-Saint Paul, USA. “Dr. Agneroh is an experienced agronomist and educator with a strong background in multidisciplinary research and extension, including working with NGOs and farmers in the Ivory Coast.” explained Roberts. “She is fluent in French and well positioned to help IPNI start a program in West Africa.”

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 The West Africa program has also hired Dr. Kokou Adambounou Amouzou as an agronomist. Dr. Amouzou holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, which he obtained from University of Bonn, Germany. He has MSc degree in Agricultural Resources and Environmental Engineering from the Ecole Supérieure d’Agronomie, Universitéde Lomé, Togo.

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New Deputy Director for East and Southern Africa Program

 Dr. James Mutegi was appointed program deputy director for East and Southern Af­rica based in Nairobi Kenya. Dr. Mutegi has been working for IPNI as a Soil Scientist and Farming System Analyst. He, amongst other responsibilities, coordinated the Soil Health Consortia and the Fertilizer Stakeholder Forum spanning across eight countries in Eastern and Southern Africa for five years. James holds a Ph.D. in Soil Fertility and Climate Change from the University of Aar­hus, Denmark and a M.Sc. in Environmental Science from Kenyatta University. He has over 10 years of experience as a scientist and a consultant with national and international institutions in Africa.

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About IPNI
IPNI is a global organization with initiatives addressing the world's growing need for food, fuel, fiber and feed. The mission of IPNI is to develop and promote scientific information about the responsible management of plant nutrition for the benefit of the human family.