Dr Ayoni Ogunbayo holds a MSc and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria. He has a prolific career spanning more than two decades in agricultural research and development at five reputable organizations (IITA, AfricaRice, ICRISAT, CIAT and CORAF), supported by immense scientific knowledge production, technology development and dissemination. He also has a strong track record in management and leadership, resource mobilization, networks and collaboration, capacity building, as well as a reputable standing in the regional and international research and development sector. As a Senior Scientist and Country Representative at ICRISAT, Mali, Dr Ogunbayo leads and provides scientific, strategic, technical and partnership guidance to dynamic and vibrant research and administration teams in the country. In addition to this role, he is the Groundnut Breeding Coordinator for West and Central Africa (WCA), actively involved in various aspects of crop improvement.
Prior to joining ICRISAT, Dr. Ogunbayo served as the Regional Project Coordinator for WCA at CORAF, Senegal with a special focus on out-scaling technologies and innovations. Prior, he worked as Plant Breeder at CIAT, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), led crop improvement and seed systems programs. He has also served as Country Project Manager for groundnut technology upscaling project at ICRISAT in Mali, 2015-2019. Other past positions occupied include Cassava Breeder and WAAPP Project Manager at IITA in Liberia. His career in Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) started with the Genebank Management, followed by Breeding Program and Seed Production Program in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. He has been actively involved in projects on rice, sorghum, millet, maize, groundnut, beans, cassava and sweet potato and other crops. He has successfully led multidisciplinary teams and effectively coordinated with public and private sector stakeholders across WCA.
Dr Ogunbayo has several awards to his credit. His PhD research work at AfricaRice was adjudged as the best “PhD Thesis” in the discipline of Agriculture within the Nigerian University System in 2011 by National University Commission. He also won the New Donor Award, “First Grant from a New Donor” and “Outstanding Partnership Award” at ICRISAT, Bamako, Mali in 2017 and 2018 respectively. He has authored and co-authored over 50 publications that are published in reputable scientific journals, proceedings, books, and chapters. Bi-lingual with high proficiency in English and French.
Expertise: Plant Breeding, Genebank Management, Agronomy, Seed System Development, Technology Transfer, Climate Smart Agriculture, Program Management and Resource Mobilization.