
Continental Africa
About
Across the African continent, accelerated transformation is needed to ensure resilience against shocks to food, land and water systems. CGIAR is committed to resourcing and building capacity into African institutions, strengthening African agricultural research and innovation systems, and equipping African farmers with the science and technologies they need to survive and to thrive.
In 2022, CGIAR will appoint a Regional Director for Continental Africa* — to serve as CGIAR’s counterpart to key continent-wide institutions, support resource mobilization and advocacy across the African continent, coordinate the work of the other three Regional Directors in Africa, and further strengthen the representation and voice of Africa-based and Africa-facing leaders.
The role provides a clear, single entry-point and a fully dedicated counterpart for Africa’s continental institutions, and complements three existing Regional Director positions covering Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), West and Central Africa (WCA) and East and Southern Africa (ESA).
* The successor for Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, the respected Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) who completes his tenure later this year, will be recruited as both Director General, IITA, and Regional Director, Continental Africa, CGIAR.
Initiatives
Explore CGIAR Initiatives in Africa

Innovations
Explore 50 years of CGIAR Innovations

Partners
The position of Regional Director for Continental Africa was created as a consequence of recent high-level consultations hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the African Union Commission (AUC) and CGIAR. Participating organizations included the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), AUDA-NEPAD, and sub-regional research organizations, CORAF, ASARECA, CCARDESA, NASRO, and the Africa Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS).
Publications
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Resource recovery from livestock waste: cases and business models from the Global South
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)07.07.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
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Nutrition, health & food security
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Tackling rabies in Kenya: A closer look at surveillance data
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)17.06.25-
Health
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Insights on farm-level livestock losses in Ethiopian production systems
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)09.06.25-
Food security
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Comparative genomics reveals common diversity and adaptation to harsh environments in the Arabian Peninsula indigenous chickens
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)09.06.25-
Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
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Bridging scales and borders on water availability and use in the transboundary Volta River Basin: a water accounting approach
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)02.06.25-
Adaptation
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Mitigation
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Closing yield gap for sustainable food security in Sub-Saharan Africa – progress, challenges, and opportunities
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)30.05.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
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Food security
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News
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Taste of progress: High-iron bean nutritional formulation draws international acclaim
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)02.07.25-
Nutrition, health & food security
When Samuel Uwihanganye - a passionate advocate for children’s nutrition and community empowerment…
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CGIAR Highlights Key Role of Research Collaboration at 6th AU-EU Ministerial Conference
AfricaRice01.07.25Rome, Italy, 27 June 2025 – Our current agri-food systems are responsible for up to…
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ILRI teams up with Kenyan government and partners to eradicate a severe cattle lung disease
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)27.06.25-
Food security
A deadly disease has long plagued the animals and livelihoods of cattle farmers in Kenya.…
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From Demonstration to Scaling for Impact: Driving Food Systems Transformation through Innovation in Malawi.
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)25.06.25-
Gender equality, youth & social inclusion
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Poverty reduction, livelihoods & jobs
By Greenwell Matchaya, Mahlatse Nkosi and Nora Hanke-Louw The CGIAR delegation recently took part in…
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New study proposes smarter cropland allocation to support sustainable agricultural intensification in Senegal
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)23.06.25-
Food security
Press Release - June 23, 2025 A new study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production present…
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A New Chapter for Goat Breeding in Pakistan
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)13.06.25ICARDA launched Pakistan’s first-ever Community-Based Goat Breeding Program (CBBP), a science-base…
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