On April 25, 2023, SAA President Kitanaka paid a courtesy call to African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina during his brief visit of Japan. Dr. Beth Dunford, the AfDB’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development was also in attendance. Dr. Dunford highlighted the successful signing of a project MoU for a joint project between SAA and the Bank supported by the Japanese government, to be launched in Ethiopia, Benin and Nigeria. The project is implemented under the Trust Fund for the Japan Policy and Human Resources Development Grant (PHRDG).

Dr. Adesina underscored the important role that agricultural extension systems play in the dissemination of innovation and human resource development in the transformation of African agriculture, and in particular, the acceleration of digitalization. He also expressed confidence in SAA’s contribution in that area and hope for the materialization of the collaboration with the Bank in coming projects.

For more details on the the PHRDG project: Please visit