New EXCEL Africa Project Securing Ag. Research Innovation for Ghana and Morocco
On September 10th, APNI welcomed partners from Australia, Ghana, and Morocco for an official project launch event unveiling an international collaboration under the EXCEL Africa initiative. The project is aimed at strengthening mentorship, scientific leadership, and applied research capacity in climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy.
The launch event, held at APNI Headquarters in Benguérir, brought together representatives from APNI, the Australian Embassy in Morocco, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the University of Queensland, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Benguérir, the University Ibn Zohr in Agadir, the University of Ghana in Accra, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
This EXCEL Africa Project, “Developing Mentorship and Capacity for Research in Climate-Responsive Crop Nutrition (EXCEL Africa-ACIAR),” is built upon a strong supportive partnership between APNI and ACIAR and is designed to foster collaborative research, knowledge exchange, and capacity development focused on critical climatic challenges faced by African agriculture.
The EXCEL Africa-ACIAR launch program featured remarks from APNI leadership, including an overview of EXCEL Africa, comments from project partners, a formal recognition of the project agreement, and remarks from His Excellency Damien Donavan, Australian Ambassador to Morocco. Participants also explored future research and development collaboration opportunities among partner institutions.
“Strong agricultural research partnerships are built through people as much as through institutions. EXCEL Africa creates an important opportunity for researchers in Morocco, Ghana, and Australia to learn from one another, develop lasting professional connections and respond together to the challenges facing food systems.” – His Excellency Damien Donavan, Ambassador of Australia to Morocco
The project unites expertise from across its partners, creating a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity development that will support the next generation of agricultural scientists and practitioners.
‘ACIAR is pleased to support EXCEL Africa as a practical investment in the next generation of agricultural research leaders. The project brings together African and Australian institutions to combine mentorship, field-based learning, and collaborative research in response to the challenges of climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy. By supporting emerging supervisors and MSc scholars in Morocco and Ghana, EXCEL Africa will strengthen individual capability while also helping to build the institutional partnerships and research networks needed for sustained impact.’’ – ACIAR
The launch marks the beginning of a multi-institutional effort focused on the core goals of the EXCEL Africa initiative—advancing agricultural research excellence and strengthening partnerships that deliver meaningful impact for farmers and food systems across Africa.
“EXCEL Africa marks an important step in APNI’s efforts to strengthen agricultural research capacity through strategic international collaboration,” said Dr. Kaushik Majumdar, Director General of APNI. “By bringing together leading institutions from Morocco, Ghana and Australia, the project will support a coordinated approach to mentorship, research excellence, and knowledge exchange in climate-responsive crop nutrition and agronomy. We are confident that this partnership will generate value for participating institutions and contribute to stronger agricultural research systems over the long term.”