The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), as a member of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), and in partnership with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley, has officially launched the third cohort of its renowned African Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) CRISPR training program on January 20 2025. Hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, the program equips African molecular scientists with cutting-edge knowledge, skills, and tools to revolutionize agriculture across the continent.
The AfPBA CRISPR Class III, commencing on January 20, 2025, will provide 11 selected scientists from five African countries with advanced training in the how-to of genome editing using CRISPR-Cas technology. The initiative is designed to empower participants to develop more resilient crops to climate change, pests, and diseases—critical for addressing Africa’s food and nutritional security challenges.
“We are committed to equipping Africa’s scientists with the skills they need to tackle the pressing challenges facing our farmers. The AfPBA CRISPR course represents a vital step toward fostering agricultural innovation and ensuring the resilience of African food systems,” said Dr. Leena Tripathi, Director of Eastern Africa Hub and Genetic Innovation Science area and Lead of the Biotechnology Program at IITA.
About the Training Course
The CRISPR training course is structured into three sessions to ensure a comprehensive learning experience:
- Session 1: January 20–31, 2025
- Session 2: April 28–May 10, 2025
- Session 3: September 29–October 10, 2025
Coordinated by UC Davis, the sessions will be held at the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campuses in Nairobi, two premier African agricultural research institutions. The hands-on training will be held in IITA lab at BecA/ILRI hub.
The program’s participants hail from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. It actively encourages women scientists to apply, fostering gender equity in agricultural research and innovation.
Since its inception, the AfPBA CRISPR program has trained 21 scientists from 9 countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa), who are now leading transformative projects in their respective countries. These alumni are advancing national agricultural strategies, enhancing crop productivity, and contributing to sustainable food systems.
The course focuses on key staple and orphan crops essential to African farmers’ livelihoods. Participants gain hands-on experience with CRISPR tools and receive ongoing mentorship to establish gene-editing programs at their home institutions after course completion.
The AfPBA CRISPR program is sponsored with generous support from several donors including Stephen M. Badger, Grantham Foundation, Syngenta, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), Bayer, and UM6P Ventures, covering all costs for participation. The program also benefits from partnerships with global leaders in biotechnology, including IITA, the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), and UC Davis, ensuring world-class expertise is available to African scientists.
“By empowering scientists with cutting-edge tools like CRISPR, we are enabling them to tackle complex agricultural challenges and contribute to the sustainable development of food systems across the continent,” said Dr. Allen Van Deynze, Director of the Seed Biotechnology Center at UC Davis and Scientific Director of the AOCC.
“This training is the first of its kind to impart knowledge, skills, and tools to accomplish gene editing in crop plants to national program scientists in Africa,” said Dr. Rita Mumm, who oversees Capacity Building and Mobilisation at the AOCC and directs the African Plant Breeding Academy.
This program is the first CRISPR hands-on training course in Africa. It will run for five years and empower 50+ scientists to use CRISPR technology for crop improvement.
The AfPBA CRISPR program represents a bold step forward in addressing Africa’s agricultural challenges. By fostering innovation, the program is transforming scientists’ lives and driving the broader mission of building a resilient and sustainable future for African agriculture.
To learn more about the AfPBA CRISPR course, visit https://africanorphancrops.org/] and https://pba.ucdavis.edu/afpba-crispr-course. Inquiries can be directed to Dr. Rita Mumm at ritamumm@illinois.edu or Dr. Leena Tripathi at L.Tripathi@cgiar.org
