Fellowship Highlights
Joseph Chuks Anikwe, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria
“Up till date, I am not aware of the use of pheromone on any agricultural crop in Nigeria. And I am bold to say that no research work has been done on the use of pheromone as an IPM [integrated pest management] tool for managing the brown cocoa mirid in Nigeria. This is the very first time that a cocoa scientist would be trained on the techniques of pheromone application in controlling mirids on cocoa in Nigeria, courtesy of the Cocoa Borlaug Fellowship Program…” During his fellowship, Joseph Anikwe learned the skills and techniques to develop pheromone traps for brown cocoa mirid.
Michael Kwaw Assuah, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana
Michael Assuah’s research focuses on mealy bugs as a vector of cocoa swollen shoot virus. His fellowship centered on learning techniques needed to conduct experiments related to the biological control of mealy bug. Using the Florida coconut mealy bug and pink hibiscus mealy bug, he learned how to transfer mealy bugs to host plants for purposes of conducting experiments. He also studied entomopathogenic fungi that can infect mealy bug. Training in this area included the mass production of conidia using rice as a substrate, the formulation of inocula in oils, and the application of inocula to insects.
Abu Mustapha Dadzie, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana
“During the last week of the fellowship, WCF organized a visit to some of the leading companies in cocoa bean storage, processing and chocolate manufacturing including Camden International Commodities Terminal LLC in New Jersey; and Blommer Chocolate Company, The Hershey Company and Mars Inc. in Pennsylvania. Our interactions with the scientists revealed to me a great deal of technologies used in the handling of cocoa beans from the warehouse to the finished product.”
Demanie Musu Flomo, Liberia
“It has been a very good experience both for my professional and personal development participating in the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program. During the Fellowship, I was fortunate to have participated in the World Food Prize Symposium and traveled to different parts of the United States meeting agricultural experts and WCF member companies. Sharing their knowledge widened my horizons about the cocoa industry and agriculture in general.”
Pascal Christiant Kouebou, Institute of Agronomic Research and Development (Cameroon)
“As a food technologist in a tropical institute agricultural research, the World Food Prize Symposium was an opportunity to get in touch with different potential collaborators (among which 35 fellows from 17 countries) and acquire knowledge on some of the most recent accomplishments in food and agriculture. This was possible through the literature on Norman E. Borlaug’s research and the visits undertaken… Additional information was obtained during the Borlaug Dialogue and especially after the presentations on cocoa research and quality assurance and the Flour Fortification Initiative. The exhibition on Dr. George Washington Carver showed us his pioneer work in plant biology and chemistry. Later on, the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony allowed us to know more about the McGovern-Dole international school-feeding program, impacting 20 million children the world over.”
Lewis Dopgima Levai, Institute of Agronomic Research and Development (Cameroon)
“[We] identified that the metabolites are promising in reducing the growth of the toxigenic Aspergillus ochraceus. Presently, the Nonanoic Acid is doing very well in plate cultures and I am returning with some cultures and the metabolites to try it out with cocoa pods… I am going to put the small scale experiments that we have done on a larger scale within this cocoa season and be able to send samples back for analysis that cannot be performed at my Institute. We are hoping that this research that we are into will finally constitute part or entirely my PhD thesis.”