Distinguished lecture series participation impacting next generation
9 February 2024
On 1 February, Mountain Top University (MTU) held its 8th annual distinguished lecture series at its campus, as part of its activities to ensure academic excellence.
The lecture, which had IITA Deputy Director General, Partnership for Delivery (DDG-P4D), Kenton Dashiell, as the guest lecturer, was themed “Implication of Linkages in Research, National Development and Food Security: The IITA Experience”.
In his welcome speech, MTU Vice Chancellor Prof. Elijah Ayolabi described the university’s annual lecture series as important, as it highlights the university’s commitment to advancing the frontiers of research as a major cornerstone to national development. He said the university has thrived in its eight years, maintaining the culture of promoting academic standards by inviting distinguished lecturers and personalities to influence excellence in the students and teachers.
Ayolabi emphasized the need for institutions and national organizations to organize such lectures, as it is germane in addressing contemporary issues in our society. “It is worrisome that organizations, institutions, and persons engage in different pastimes that are not geared toward national development. There is an urgent need to correct this and explore national and global collaboration that will further improve food security and national development,” he said.
In his presentation, Dashiell outlined IITA’s research activities in the last five decades, how the P4D program was set up to facilitate the transfer of research output to private and public scaling partners, and how this has been a major source of income to IITA.
Dashiell enumerated how, through its Business Incubation Platform (BIP), IITA facilitates the private sector’s roles in upscaling research for development (R4D) innovations and how the unit demonstrates the economic viability of producing and delivering these innovations. He also mentioned the role of the youth agripreneurs in effectively integrating youth into agribusiness to increase the positive impact on sustainable agri-food system transformation.
In closing, Dashiell expressed that, at the science and delivery level, IITA has the capacity in Africa to organize interactions with key private and scaling partners, thereby creating impact in other science areas, such as improved crop varieties, Integrated Soil Fertility Management, aflatoxin management, and other salient areas. “We are fully equipped and engaged in helping countries develop their plans for transforming their agriculture and food system,” he said.
He encouraged the MTU students to contribute to national development by volunteering and showing their worth whenever they have an opportunity. Doing this will contribute to ensuring a food-secure society.
MTU collaborates with IITA on research projects not limited to food science and post-harvest processing, biological sciences, especially biogas, and environmental sciences and conservation.
Contributed by Tolulope Olabode
