GENES in Brief

Feeding the increasing populations in Africa requires radical transformation of a largely underdeveloped agriculture over the next four decades. A major challenge is how to increase agricultural production among resource-poor farmers without exacerbating environmental problems and simultaneously coping with climate change, a critical force driving low agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Genomics offers more precise, quick, non-expensive technology that complement classic breeding approaches. However, despite the tremendous progress observed in genetics and molecular breeding worldwide, African universities have remained poorly involved in such technologies with low capacity and poor facilities. This makes it difficult to apply those powerful technologies to improve African crops. Recently, the molecular hub of Africa BecA-ILRI (in Kenya) was equipped with genotyping by sequencing (GBS) facility with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. This facility, termed the Integrated Genotyping Service and Support (IGSS) platform offers a new perspective for training young scholars to equip them in designing and developing molecular approaches to increase the potential of genomic breeding to help adapt crops to climate change. In anticipation of the need to increase the number of plant breeders who can use genomics, the GENES Project was established.

Aim of the Project

GENES Project aims at increasing the number of trained and qualified high-level molecular plant breeders in Africa through integrated intra-African program.

Specific Objectives:

1) Produce for Africa 10 world-class PhD holders molecular plant breeders who will accelerate cultivar development to adapt to current and future challenges related to climate change and food and nutrition security;
2) Train 36 MSc holders genomics scientists and 8 support staff with strong capacity in cultivar development and new molecular breeding approaches to increase knowledge and prospects of improving major crops including cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, and biofuels used in Africa for food and nutrition security and the crop production industry;
3) Harmonize training programs and research agenda of the consortium members (universities) on the use of genomic breeding to accelerate cultivar development and increase the resilience of crop production systems;
4) Foster national, regional, and global collaboration and programmatic agenda that promote genomic breeding research and training for agricultural innovations within Africa.

Expected Result

1) Ten world-class plant genome specialists with awareness on the challenges of climate variability and food insecurity;
2) Thirty-six other scientists and 8 staff with strong capacities in cultivar development fostering molecular approaches;
3) Harmonized and state-of-art training programs in four Universities located in West, Central, and Eastern Africa;
4) Create a pragmatic and programmatic partnership among African universities within and beyond this consortium.

GENES clearly exhibits the potential to accelerate the process of in-depth reform, scope, quality, and harmonization of genomic breeding training programmes throughout Africa. GENES will also reshape academic research adapted to the continent’s needs with a focus on the adaptation strategies using genomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. As curriculum review takes place at intervals within the University systems following standard procedures, harmonization of programmes can take place among higher education institutions (HEIs) in the consortium. One of the major outputs of GENES partnership will be the establishment and reinforcement of programmatic relationship between four universities from three regions of Africa - two universities in western Africa, (Ebonyi State University in Nigeria and the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin), one university in eastern Africa (Jimma University in Ethiopia) and one university in central Africa (University of Yaunde 1 in Cameroon). GENES is another opportunity to facilitate recognition and improvement of studies and enable the application of academic credit transfers between universities.

The innovative character of GENES and its contribution to ‘’green jobs’’ lie in the use of genomics to accelerate food and biofuel production in sub Saharan Africa. Furthermore, a collaboration scheme will be developed so that students are attached for at least three months with seed companies, farmer groups, development agencies, food processing companies and research organizations, as a way of helping them gain hands-on experience so as to increase their employment prospects and career opportunities.

The GENES project was designed in the light of a gender balance vision. It integrates a gender perspective in several respects. For example, the programme aims at training 5 female PhD students, 5 male PhD students, 18 female MSc students and 18 male MSc students, all things being equal.

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Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki -Nigeria
Email: info@genes-intra-africa.org
Phone: (+234)
Fax: (+234)

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