TO boost rice research, the African Rice Centre (WARDA) Board of Trustees has endorsed the process of harmonisation of specific activities of the centre with those of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at its just-concluded meeting.

The African Rice Centre (WARDA) is an autonomous inter-governmental research association of African member-states. It is also one of the 15 international agricultural research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural

Research (CGIAR).

The New Rice for Africa (NERICA), which is bringing hope to millions of poor people in Africa, was developed by WARDA and its partners and since January 2005, the centre has been working from Cotonou, Benin Republic.

It also has regional research stations near St. Louis, Senegal and at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Nigeria.

According to a statement by Mr. Taye Babaleye of IITA yesterday in Abuja, WARDA was joining forces with IRRI and CIAT as part of a new wave of partnership aimed at creating a strong synergy for rice research in Africa.

Babaleye observed that to improve resource efficiency, WARDA and IITA-Cotonou were adopting common corporate services for the activities at the IITA research station in Benin, where WARDA's temporary headquarters is based.

The WARDA board endorsed these bold new directions in inter-centre alliance, based on mutual respect, while reasserting WARDA's integrity and special status as an inter-governmental association of African member-states.

According to him, the board Chairman of WARDA, Mr. Gaston Grenier, said: "I am happy to state that the new vision presented to the board by the WARDA Director General,

Dr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck, emphasises these strategic alliances because he believes strongly that it would be impossible for any single organisation to implement an effective research agenda in Africa".

The statement disclosed that "five thematic areas have been identified for joint research on rice which included genomics, seed, policy, post harvest, and commodity chain, taking into cognisance the comparative advantages of WARDA and IRRI".