The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has announced the appointment of Dr. Jean Baptiste De La Salle Tignegre as the new manager of the Pod Borer-Resistant Cowpea (PBR) project being implemented in Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Baptiste, a Burkinabé, joined AATF on August 1, 2022, from the World Vegetable Centre, Mali Office, where he worked as the country manager and representative for the West and Central Africa Dry Region.
Baptiste replaces Dr. Issoufou Kolo who retired last December.
In his role as project manager, PBR Cowpea, Baptiste, who will be based in Abuja, Nigeria, will also serve as the AATF West African regional representative.
A statement by AATF communications officer (West and Central Africa), Alex Abutu said Baptiste, who has led other cowpea improvement initiatives, has worked for over 25 years in the cowpea value chain. He brings on board valuable experience in biotechnology and, specifically, PBR Cowpea.
His previous roles include working with the Institute for Environment and Agricultural Research (National Scientific and Technology Research Centre) Burkina Faso, as a plant breeder for the grain legume improvement program (Cowpea) and as team leader of the plant genetics for cowpea in Burkina Faso.
Baptiste holds a PhD in plant breeding from the University of KwaZulu in the Republic of South Africa, M. Sc in plant biology and ecology from the University of Ouagadougou, MSc in rural development engineering (major in agricultural sciences) from the University of Ouagadougou and B.Sc. rural development technical sciences engineering (major in agricultural sciences) from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
