News
AfDB Provides €5m Grant to IITA to Advance Agricultural Transformation in Africa
The African Development Bank has provided a €5 million grant in supplementary financing to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to advance food security and climate-resilient agriculture across Africa.
Dr. Abdul Kamara, the Bank’s Director General for Nigeria, and Dr. Simeon Ehui, IITA’s Director General, signed the grant agreement in Abuja on March 13, marking a key milestone in the second phase of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT-II) program.
Funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through the Bank’s Transition Support Facility Donor Contributions Window, this grant will support high-impact agricultural activities under TAAT-II. Previously, on July 15, 2022, the Bank Group’s Board of Directors approved $27 million to kickstart this crucial second phase, reinforcing efforts to transform agriculture across the continent.
TAAT is a flagship program under the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy, executed by IITA in partnership with CCGIAR -the world’s largest global agricultural innovation network, National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems, and key private sector partners.
The program takes a regional approach to agricultural productivity by rapidly delivering proven technologies to millions of farmers across the continent. The Bank previously financed the first phase (TAAT-I) with $40 million, which successfully delivered transformative crop, livestock, and fish production technologies to over 20 million farmers in more than 31 African countries. These efforts have enhanced food security, increased farmer incomes, and strengthened agricultural resilience.
Building on the achievements of the TAAT-I program, TAAT-II aims to scale up agricultural innovations across the continent, equipping countries with the tools needed to increase productivity and drive economic growth.
This €5 million grant will support target transformative activities under the TAAT-II program, including scaling farmer training programs to enhance productivity, strengthening the technical capacity of national agricultural institutions, and promoting sustainable farming practices that build resilience against climate change.
The grant will directly benefit Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Uganda, and Rwanda by facilitating knowledge transfer, equipping smallholder farmers with advanced agricultural techniques, and establishing a more resilient and self-sufficient agricultural sector across these countries.
At the signing ceremony, Dr. Kamara reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to Africa’s agricultural transformation: “TAAT is not just an agricultural program; it is a revolutionary initiative that continues to harness cutting-edge technologies, supporting Africa’s food sufficiency.
This funding is another decisive step in securing Africa’s food future, as investment in technology, capacity building, and financing solutions are integral to the program’s success.
TAAT-II is even more critical, as it builds on past successes to scale impact, and the African Development Bank is confident that the program will push Africa’s productivity boundary, strengthen food security, and create economic opportunities for millions.”
Dr. Ehui emphasized that the grant will drive real impact where needed most, highlighting IITA’s role as a key executing partner, ensuring that African farmers gain direct access to the best agricultural innovations.
“This investment will help CGIAR bring proven technologies to scale, strengthen seed systems, and empower farmers with climate-resilient solutions. We are committed to working with the African Development Bank and other partners to ensure that smallholder farmers, who are at the heart of Africa’s food system, benefit from these advancements,” Ehui said.
In a major leadership transition, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (DSR) has announced the retirement of Aliko Dangote, its founder and chairman, from the Board, effective June 16, 2025.
Aliko Dangote
The announcement was made in a regulatory filing with the Nigerian Exchange Ltd on June 11, highlighting the company’s commitment to sound corporate governance and structured succession planning.
In a statement signed by Mrs. Temitope Hassan (FCIS), company secretary and legal adviser, the Board praised Dangote’s extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions to the company.
“Alhaji Aliko Dangote is one of the founding Directors of the Company and has served with exceptional leadership, integrity, and vision since 2005,” the statement read.
“Under his stewardship, Dangote Sugar Refinery transformed significantly, navigated industry changes, consistently delivered value to shareholders, and upheld strong governance principles.”
Widely regarded as Africa’s most influential industrialist, Dangote led DSR’s evolution into a dominant player in Nigeria’s sugar value chain.
His strategic initiatives, particularly the Backward Integration Projects (BIPs) across Adamawa, Taraba, and Nasarawa States, advanced the company’s self-sufficiency goals and aligned with the federal government’s national sugar master plan.
While stepping down from DSR, Dangote will continue as President of Dangote Industries Limited.
His legacy at DSR is marked by industrial innovation, strategic foresight, and sustained operational excellence.
To ensure a seamless transition, the Board has appointed Mr. Arnold Ekpe, a seasoned independent non-executive director, as the new chairman, effective June 16.
Ekpe is renowned for his tenure as Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, where he championed pan-African financial inclusion and institutional growth.
His extensive experience in banking and corporate governance is expected to strengthen DSR’s next phase of development.
The leadership change signals continuity of vision, with DSR reaffirming its focus on operational efficiency and long-term value creation in a dynamic market.
For shareholders and industry observers, Dangote’s exit from the Board marks the end of a transformational era—one defined by bold ambition and strategic execution—while opening a new chapter under Ekpe’s leadership.
Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis Team researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.
The previously unknown malware is delivered via a phishing site pretending to be the official DeepSeek homepage that is promoted via Google Ads.
The goal of the attacks is to install BrowserVenom, a malware that configures web browsers on the victim’s device to channel web traffic through the attackers servers, thus allowing to collect user data – credentials and other sensitive information. Multiple infections have been detected in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa and Egypt.
DeepSeek-R1 is one of the most popular LLMs right now, and Kaspersky has previously reported attacks with malware mimicking it to attract victims. DeepSeek can also be run offline on PCs using tools like Ollama or LM Studio, and attackers used this in their campaign.
Users were directed to a phishing site mimicking the address of the original DeepSeek platform via Google Ads, with the link showing up in the ad when a user searched for “deepseek r1”.
Once the user reached the fake DeepSeek site, a check was performed to identify the victim’s operating system. If it was Windows, the user was presented with a button to download the tools for working with the LLM offline. Other operating systems were not targeted at the time of research.
After clicking on the button and passing the CAPTCHA test, a malicious installer file was downloaded and the user was presented with options to download and install Ollama or LM Studio.
If either option was chosen, along with legitimate Ollama or LM Studio installers, malware got installed in the system bypassing Windows Defender’s protection with a special algorithm.
This procedure also required administrator privileges for the user profile on Windows; if the user profile on Windows did not have these privileges, the infection would not take place.
After the malware was installed, it configured all web browsers in the system to forcefully use a proxy controlled by the attackers, enabling them to spy on sensitive browsing data and monitor the victim’s browsing activity.
Because of its enforcing nature and malicious intent, Kaspersky researchers have dubbed this malware BrowserVenom.
“While running large language models offline offers privacy benefits and reduces reliance on cloud services, it can also come with substantial risks if proper precautions aren’t taken.
Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the popularity of open-source AI tools by distributing malicious packages and fake installers that can covertly install keyloggers, cryptominers, or infostealers.
These fake tools compromise a user’s sensitive data and pose a threat, particularly when users have downloaded them from unverified sources,” comments Lisandro Ubiedo, Security Researcher with Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team.
National Industrial Court in Lagos has ruled that a deposit money bank must pay over N162 million in outstanding retirement benefits to a group of its former employees.
The judgment, delivered by Justice R.H. Gwandu, criticized the bank’s attempt to withhold entitlements from staff employed through third-party arrangements.
The claimants, represented by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, argued that the bank violated labor laws by refusing to honor their retirement benefits. They sought declarations that the bank’s actions were unlawful and requested immediate payment of their dues.
Justice Gwandu ruled in favor of the employees, stating that the use of third-party employment to evade obligations was unacceptable.
The court acknowledged their long service and dismissed the bank’s argument that they did not meet the required 15 years of uninterrupted service.
Notably, the court upheld the rights of the 10th claimant, who continued working with the bank after its merger with Manny Bank and another commercial institution.
This landmark ruling reinforces workers’ rights and establishes that organizations cannot use outsourcing arrangements to deny employees their legitimate benefits.
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