Paving the way to sustainable cassava and plantain quality seed production in the Republic of Gabon

28 November 2025

 

IITA–CGIAR is at the forefront of cassava and banana seed production in Gabon. The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), organized a two-week phased-in training to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and strengthen the national seed production through the technical assistance to the Projet d’Appui au Programme GRAINE-Phase 1 (PAPG1), under the framework of the Technologies of African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program. This two-week program targeted heads of agricultural division services and top government officials within the Ministry of Agriculture in Libreville, from 26 October to 5 November 2025. TAAT is a flagship program of the African Development Bank‘s Feed Africa Strategy. It aims to double crop, livestock, and fish productivity by providing over 40 million African smallholder farmers with proven technologies. Since its inception in 2018, TAAT has supported the Feed Africa Initiative by providing the necessary, productivity-enhancing, and food-processing technologies. The program has also been responsible for implementing inclusion strategies within the bank’s financing of large-scale regional and national agriculture investment projects, driving agricultural transformation across the continent.

More than ever, the Ministry of Agriculture in Gabon has demonstrated its commitment to fostering strong ties with IITA to build pathways for sustainable agrifood systems by maximizing modernized technologies for cassava and plantain seed production, aiming to become self-sufficient in the cassava and plantain value chain. The training aimed to incorporate hands-on practices using innovative digital solutions, such as the Cassava Business Connector and PlantVillage NURU, in agricultural extension services. The training also provided an avenue for participants to reflect on improving extension services to farmers and chart a strategic plan to build technical capacity across all levels of the Ministry.

“We are laying the foundation for a high-performing, digitalized agricultural extension system, one that can better support producers, address the challenges of crop diseases, and ensure Gabon’s autonomy in seed production,” stated Arnaud Kombila Mussavu, Director General of Agriculture in the Ministry.

Participants explored key topics including seed legislation, varietal identification, phytosanitary surveillance, soil fertility management, irrigation, tissue culture, and vitroplants acclimatization. They also held practical field sessions, equipping officials to respond to rising threats from fungal, viral, and insect pests.

Digital agriculture was a central theme. IITA experts introduced tools such as SeedTracker, Akilimo, Cassava Business Connector, and PlantVillage NURU, platforms designed to streamline data collection, improve planning, and strengthen contingency responses. Twenty-five tablets were handed over to the departmental service heads by IITA to support this cause.

The training workshop also highlighted opportunities for cassava seed multiplication technologies, notably the deployment of Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology, a novel approach in the cassava rapid multiplication, which will accelerate the multiplication of clean cassava planting materials to reach millions of farmers.

Moreover, the private partner commended IITA for its success in plantain tissue culture, a breakthrough rarely achieved worldwide due to the crop’s vulnerability to disease contamination. “Let me commend IITA. Many institutions only manage to multiply dessert bananas. Plantain is far more complex, yet IITA has shown its expertise in plantain seed production,” said Dr Sulaimana Assani, Director General of SOCIETE AGRITEC-Gabon (AGRITEC), a private company and a sub-grantee of IITA under the project, in charge of plantain vitroplant acclimatization.

On the other hand, Voga Moudoubou, representative of the PAPG1 National Coordinator, presented the project’s achievements in the infrastructure component across six provinces nationwide. He emphasized the importance of the investment made by the Government of Gabon to support the development of the agriculture sector, provide access to modern agricultural infrastructure, and enhance local capacities at all levels.

In his closing remarks, the Director General of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture expressed his satisfaction with IITA’s technical assistance. He underscored the impactful and transformative change brought about by the deployment of IITA technologies and innovative solutions in seed production, and the need to sustain this collaboration. He reiterated the vision of the new presidential initiative, which aims to promote local poultry production using locally produced animal feed. This initiative presents an opportunity for IITA to expand its intervention in Gabon by integrating maize and soybeans into new investments and supporting the country in transitioning towards a more self-sufficient and diversified economy.

Contributed by Fotso Apollin, Ritha Bumwe, and Zozo Rachel