AfDB awards $16.6m grant to IITA to scale agric technologies across Africa

African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved a $16.61 million grant to International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to launch the third phase of its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation programme. The grant deepens efforts to spread climate-resilient farming tools across the continent as Governments grapple with food insecurity and rising climate shocks.

The agreement, signed in Abuja will finance the next stage of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation or TAAT-III, a flagship initiative designed to move high-yielding seed varieties and other proven innovations from research stations into farmers’ fields at scale.

Since its debut in 2018, the platform has reached nearly 25 million farmers and expanded climate-resilient practices across more than 35 million hectares, according to the bank and IITA. Working with the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research Centres and national partners, the program has lifted crop yields by as much as 69% in some areas and generated more than $4 billion in additional agricultural value.

Read also: AfDB returns as shareholder in TCX with $25m equity injection

Countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have reported productivity gains in staple crops alongside improved resilience to drought and heat stress. In Nigeria, farmers participating in a wheat initiative adopted heat-tolerant varieties that more than doubled yields from 1.7 tons per hectare to 3.5 tons per hectare, the institutions said.

Abdul Kamara, Director-General of AfDB Nigeria country department, said the new phase would emphasise speed and scale. “TAAT-III underscores the Bank’s commitment to ensuring that proven, climate-resilient agricultural technologies reach farmers faster and at scale,” Kamara said at the signing ceremony. “This phase strengthens the systems that deliver innovation, helping countries boost productivity, enhance resilience, and align agricultural transformation efforts with the Bank’s four new areas of emphasis, dubbed the Four Cardinal Points.”

The grant will be financed through the African Development Fund, the bank’s concessional lending arm for low-income countries. TAAT-III is expected to reach an additional 14 million farmers across 37 vulnerable countries eligible for fund support.

Beyond distributing improved seeds, the third phase aims to consolidate earlier gains by reinforcing seed and technology distribution networks and embedding reforms within national agricultural investment strategies. Program-supported seed system assessments have already informed policy changes in some countries to expand access to certified, climate-resilient seeds.

The initiative will also introduce a more private sector-driven delivery model, deepening partnerships with agribusinesses while expanding digital tools such as technology e-catalogues and real-time monitoring platforms to accelerate deployment.

Simeon Ehui, Director-General of IITA, said the partnership would build on scientific advances developed through international research collaboration. “TAAT-III allows us to deepen the delivery of science-based solutions that improve farmers’ yields and livelihoods,” Ehui said. “Working with the Bank and our partners, we are scaling technologies that make Africa’s food systems more resilient and competitive.”

Read also: Ex-AfDB chief launches investment platform to drive capital to Africa

TAAT previously played a central role in supporting the bank’s Africa Emergency Food Production Facility, which sought to stabilise food supplies during recent global disruptions by rapidly deploying improved seeds and inputs.

With the third phase, the institutions are seeking to shift from emergency response to long-term transformation, anchoring technology adoption in national systems as climate volatility and population growth intensify pressure on Africa’s food systems.