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What we do

With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

Where we work

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Where we work

IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

IFPRI Regional Programs

IFPRI Country Programs

Research by country and region

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country program

Nigeria Strategy Support Program

Vegetable seller at local market in Abuja A Nigerian man sells fresh vegetables at a market in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. IFPRI works with local partners to conduct research on improving the vegetable value chains.

country programs

Overview

The Nigeria Strategy Support Program (NSSP), launched in 2007, is dedicated to strengthening evidence-based policymaking in Nigeria by working with partners to generate evidence to inform planning and implementation of development interventions that support agricultural development, enhance food security, and improve nutrition. Program activities are built around rigorous policy research and support to government institutions, especially the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

NSSP conducts research and advises on strategic policy options to support agricultural growth, rural development, and economic transformation in Nigeria. In particular, the program aims to (1) enhance agriculture-sector policies and strategies by fostering a deeper understanding of pro-poor, gender-sensitive, and environmentally sustainable approaches to agricultural and rural development in Nigeria; (2) build the capacity of government agencies, research institutions, and other stakeholders to conduct and utilize applied research that directly informs agricultural and rural policies and strategies; and (3) foster improved communication linkages and consultations among policymakers, policy analysts, and beneficiaries regarding agricultural and rural development policy matters.

IFPRI’s ongoing work in Nigeria is driven by local demand for IFPRI’s global expertise in solutions to address food insecurity and malnutrition; IFPRI’s strong partnerships in Nigeria; Nigeria’s strategic importance within the sub-region and the world; and the focus of the Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders on food security.

To learn more, visit the IFPRI Nigeria website.

Links/Projects

IFPRI Nigeria Website

Donors

Partners

Duration

2007 – Ongoing

Publications

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Report

Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline process evaluation report

2024Mockshell, Jonathan; Asante-Addo, Collins; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Ritter, Thea; Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.
Details

Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline process evaluation report

This process evaluation (PE) is part of a five-year (2021–2026) impact evaluation (IE) of the use of a new pod-borer-resistant (PBR) cowpea variety in Nigeria, a project led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). While the IE draws from a representative sample of 1,399 farmers to determine the causal impacts of the use of PBR cowpea, the PE complements the IE by exploring in detail the potential adoption of the PBR cowpea variety and the reasons for adoption or non adoption, including its potential impacts on actors throughout the value chain. A program impact pathway (PIP) is the basis of this PE. The PIP identifies how impacts emerge from program inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes to highlight barriers and facilitators of adoption. Given that this PE was conducted before the rollout of PBR cowpea in the IE, the analysis focuses on the potential of this innovative seed to achieve positive outputs and outcomes based on the PIP. Qualitative data were gathered from eight focus group discussions with farmers and 180 semi-structured interviews conducted with farmers, extension agents, seed dealers, and cowpea traders from eight local government areas (LGAs) in the states of Adamawa and Kwara. Given that the data are qualitative, the data are not representative. However, important insights were found that can help guide the IE.

Year published

2024

Authors

Mockshell, Jonathan; Asante-Addo, Collins; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Ritter, Thea; Amare, Mulubrhan; Andam, Kwaw S.

Citation

Mockshell, Jonathan; Asante-Addo, Collins; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Ritter, Thea; Amare, Mulubrhan; and Andam, Kwaw. 2024. Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline process evaluation report. NSSP Project Report: June 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145073

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Impact Assessment; Cowpeas; Farmers; Agriculture; Value Chains; Stakeholders

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline report

2024Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubhran; Zambrano, Patrica; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Edeh, Hyacinth; Chambers, Judith
Details

Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline report

Nigeria is the largest consumer and producer of cowpea in Africa. Produced predominantly by smallholder farmers, cowpea is relied on by millions of Nigerians and is one of their main sources of affordable protein. Despite cowpea’s economic relevance (Nwagboso et al. 2024; Phillip et al. 2019), cowpea yields in Nigeria have barely grown over the last 20 years. One of the main abiotic constraints of the crop is the pod-borer insect (Maruca vitrata), which can cause damages of up to 80 percent. Given that conventional breeding has not been successful in addressing this constraint, local and international efforts over the last decades focused on developing a pod-borer-resistant (PBR) cowpea. The culmination of these efforts in Nigeria was the commercial release of the PBR cowpea variety SAMPEA-20T in late 2019. This is a significant milestone, as it was the first transgenic food crop to be approved for cultivation in Nigeria. In its programming under the “Feed the Future Innovative Maize and Cowpea Technologies to Increase Food and Nutrition Security in Africa” activity, implemented by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aims for an adoption rate of PBR cowpea in Nigeria of 25 percent by 2025, with yield gains of 20 percent and accompanying reductions in pesticide applications. The International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) is leading a five-year (2021–2026) impact evaluation (IE) project, funded by USAID. The study goal is to generate causal evidence of the use of the PBR cowpea variety and its consequential household and farm impacts and associated value chain effects. In a collaboration with IFPRI’s Nigeria Country Office, PBS is leading and coordinating the overall study while the IFPRI-Nigeria Country Office designs and implements the quantitative and qualitative approaches to the evaluation. IFPRI has worked with technology developers, the AATF and its partners (including private local seed companies), to ensure access to necessary data and cooperation by the evaluation team, while maintaining the team’s independence. To ensure such required independence, the evaluation team has separated the cooperation in implementing the evaluation (including distributing inputs) from the data analysis. The evaluation team will continue to maintain its independence in the methodological approach and the analysis of the results from the implemented randomized controlled trial (RCT), adhering to international standards.

Year published

2024

Authors

Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubhran; Zambrano, Patrica; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Edeh, Hyacinth; Chambers, Judith

Citation

Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubhran; Zambrano, Patrica; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Edeh, Hyacinth; and Chambers, Judith. 2024. Impact evaluation of the use of PBR cowpea in Nigeria: Baseline report. NSSP Project Report: June 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145074

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Western Africa; Africa; Cowpeas; Smallholders; Nutrition; Yields; Pests; Transgenic Plants; Value Chains; Impact Assessment

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Working Paper

The economic importance of cowpea in Nigeria trends and Implications for achieving agri-food system transformation

2024Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubrhan; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Fasoranti, Adetunji
Details

The economic importance of cowpea in Nigeria trends and Implications for achieving agri-food system transformation

Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world and one of the highest consumers. This paper documents the challenges in cowpea production and consumption, export, and import trends in Nigeria. The critical and comparative review reveals several important insights. Cowpea is important for households and communities due to its substantial contributions to food security, nutrition, and revenue production. It plays a pivotal role in supporting various stakeholders involved in the value chain, including producers, processors, traders, and food vendors. Thus, cowpea is a crucial multipurpose crop. Although Nigeria is the largest producer of cowpea in the world, with a total production of 3.6 million tons in 2021, the demand for cowpea surpasses its supply due to factors such as the country’s large population and low productivity. We describe the main challenges encountered in Nigeria’s cowpea production, encompassing a range of issues such as high susceptibility to pests and diseases from planting to storage phases, low adoption of improved cowpea seed varieties, poor soil fertility, drought, and heat stress. The data suggest that low input use, low-yield varieties, and low productivity characterize the current level of cowpea production. Our findings suggest the need for tailored strategies to support the adoption of improved cowpea varieties in Nigeria to increase domestic production, adherence to quality standards, exploration of international markets for export opportunities, and ultimately, household income and improve nutritional outcomes.

Year published

2024

Authors

Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubrhan; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Fasoranti, Adetunji

Citation

Nwagboso, Chibuzo; Andam, Kwaw S.; Amare, Mulubrhan; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; and Fasoranti, Adetunji. 2024. The economic importance of cowpea in Nigeria trends and Implications for achieving agri-food system transformation. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2241. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139672

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Agrifood Systems; Cowpeas; Value Chains; Households; Exports; Imports

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Working Paper

Blogs

The Russia-Ukraine crisis presents threats to Nigeria’s food security, but potential opportunities for the fertilizer, energy sectors
IFPRI Blog
 | 
June 09, 2022

The Russia-Ukraine crisis presents threats to Nigeria’s food security, but potential opportunities for the fertilizer, energy sectors

By Bedru Balana, Kwaw Andam, Mulubrhan Amare, Dolapo Adeyanju, and David Laborde

Problems for a country that imports 99% of its wheat.

Why Nigeria urgently needs to grow non-oil exports
IFPRI Blog
 | 
December 10, 2018

Why Nigeria urgently needs to grow non-oil exports

By Channing Arndt, Adedeji Adeniran, Chuku Chuku, George Mavrotas, Morakinyo Adetutu, and Victor Ajayi

Continued low oil prices are putting unsustainable stresses on Nigeria's economy. Time to diversify.

Public expenditure in agriculture: trends, “black boxes”, and more
Policies, Institutions, and Markets
 | 
January 12, 2016

Public expenditure in agriculture: trends, “black boxes”, and more

By Evgeniya Anisimova

Sustainable growth and inclusive rural transformation require provision of key public goods and services, all of which cost money. 

News

October 25, 2022 | In the News

Economic readiness vital in cushioning against effects of future pandemics (This Day Live)

This Day Live (Nigeria) cites an IFPRI Nigeria report in its post about the importance of economic readiness in cushioning against the effects of future pandemics.   IFPRI reported that cause of the lockdown measures necessitated by the pandemic, Nigeria’s GDP plunged to 34.1 percent which translates to USD 16 billion with two-thirds of this loss coming in […]

October 14, 2022 | In the News

Nigerian fried rice is a fresh take on a classic dish (Tasting Table) 

Tasting Table published an article extolling the great taste of Nigerian fried rice. According to IFPRI, rice is an integral part of the Nigerian diet. (See the book chapter, Rice in the Nigerian economy and agricultural policies. Jollof rice and coconut rice are everyday mealtime staples for the country, but Nigerian fried rice is a […]

August 31, 2022 | In the News

Food security: FG launches policy to boost agriculture production (News Agency of Nigeria [NAN]) 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) produced a video on the Agriculture Technology and Innovation Policy launch. The Policy has ten thematic areas including synergy and MDA alignment; livestock development; knowledge creation, and transfer; rapid mechanization; revitalization of extension service delivery; strengthening value-chains for priority crops; fisheries, and development of marine resources. The project runs through […]

Events

Developing Evidence for Agricultural and Rural Development Policies and Strategies in Nigeria
May 20 to 21, 2009

Developing Evidence for Agricultural and Rural Development Policies and Strategies in Nigeria

Abstract​ The APSF Stakeholder Workshop convened policymakers, farmer organizations, donors, development partners, and members of the research community to learn about research findings on Nigeria’s agricultural development and to discuss future directions for the program. APSF is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and implemented by IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program (NSSP), and works […]

Team members

Kwaw Andam

Kwaw Andam

Country Program Leader / Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Kwaw Andam

Kwaw Andam

Country Program Leader / Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Paul Dorosh

Paul Dorosh

Director, Development Strategy and Governance (DSG), Development
Strategies and Governance

Xinshen Diao

Xinshen Diao

Deputy Division Director, Foresight and Policy Modeling, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Suresh Babu

Suresh Babu

Senior Research Fellow / Head of Capacity Strengthening, Development
Strategies and Governance

Olivier Ecker

Olivier Ecker

Senior Research Fellow, Foresight
and Policy Modeling

Mulubrhan Amare

Mulubrhan Amare

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Bedru Balana

Bedru Balana

Senior Research Fellow, Development
Strategies and Governance

Hyacinth Edeh

Hyacinth Edeh

Country Program Manager, Development
Strategies and Governance

The Programs

  • Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal

    Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program

    Improving food and nutrition security is of paramount concern to millions in Bangladesh.

  • Wuxi, the fast growing city that was formerly known as White Horse Village.

    China Strategy Support Program

    Supports joint research & capacity strengthening as well as policy dialogues & communication to improve policymaking.

  • Farm land in Giza in Egypt

    Egypt Strategy Support Program

    Egypt SSP's main objective is to raise incomes of the rural poor and to improve food and nutrition security in Egypt.

  • Gayo village, Ethiopia

    Ethiopia Strategy Support Program

    ESSP is a collaborative program undertaken by IFPRI and the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI)

  • amevi-wisdom-wiul_nyafcy-unsplash

    Ghana Strategy Support Program

    Conduct research & advise on policy to support agricultural growth, rural development & economic transformation.

  • Local vendors selling vegetables at a market in Kenya,Africa

    Kenya Strategy Support Program

    KSSP is a policy research, capacity strengthening and policy communication program with the main objectives to accelerate poverty reduction and to improve food security.

  • Mitundu Market, Lilongwe, Malawi

    Malawi Strategy Support Program

    This project facilitates and promotes evidence-based dialogue and decision-making in support of agricultural development, food security, and economic growth in Malawi.

  • Country program Myanmar

    Myanmar Strategy Support Program

    The project supports agricultural transformation and other development policy goals by enhancing national technical, institutional, and policy analysis capacities.

  • Nigeria Strategy Support Program

    NSSP responds to the research, analysis, and capacity needs of stakeholders in the Nigerian agricultural research and policy community.

  • Fertile field at sunset in the countryside (Rwanda/ Africa)

    Rwanda Strategy Support Program

    Rwanda SSP is an initiative aligned with the Government of Rwanda’s vision to accelerate agricultural transformation and rural development in Rwanda.

  • A sunset view of river Nile in Khartoum, Sudan

    Sudan Strategy Support Program

    The Sudan Country Strategy Support Program (CSSP), with key team members based in Khartoum, can provide needed analytical support to the Government of Sudan, local and international partners.