Chiedozie Ngozi Egesi is a Nigerian plant scientist and professor. He is director of numerous research projects dedicated to international agriculture, gender equity and food and nutrition security in agriculture. [1] He received the Achiever in Agriculture Award in 2021 by the Nigeria Agriculture Awards in 2021 [2] and the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Prize in 2022.
Egesi grew up in a farming community [3] in Umuahia South, Abia State. He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Calabar in 1994 and a Master in Science on Environmental Biology at University of Ibadan in 1997. He earned a Ph.D in Agricultural Biology from University of Ibadan in 2001 [4]
He took certificate courses on Statistical Genetics at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA in 2007 and Spring class on Qualitative Trait Loci Analyses and Statistical Genetics at the Cornell University Ithaca, New York in April, 2012.
From 2002-2018, Egesi presided over the Leadership of a Cassava Breeding [5] which led to the release of 27 improved cassava varieties [6] in Nigeria including 9 high pro-vitamin A cassava varieties [7] and official release of 10 improved water yam varieties in Nigeria. [8] Some of these varieties have been distributed across some African countries.
Between 2008-2015, Egesi served as an In-Country Product Development Manager (Nigeria), BioCassava Plus Project. He handled several in-country project activities that led to the authorisation for field evaluation of a Genetically Modified Organism crop in Nigeria. He is credited with the facilitation of the biosafety accreditation of Biotechnology Laboratory for transgenic research at the National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike [9] by the National Biosafety Office, Abuja. [10]
Between 2016 and 2022, Egesi was appointed as a Senior Scientist for Next Generation Cassava Breeding Project, at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. As Project leader, he was in charge of the technical leadership and coordination of project activities globally, including the project's multi-country variety and population improvement program, leading to the release of 5 varieties of cassava in Nigeria, [11] and submitted 3 varieties for registration in Uganda and Tanzania [11]
As an Adjunct Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. Egesi oversees the global leadership of Next Generation Cassava project activities globally, including Graduate student mentoring, collaborative international plant breeding, Principal Investigator of global development projects and Board member, Alliance for Science [12]
in his role as a visiting Scientist at the department of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States, he took up leadership role for the coordination of Muhogo Bora project [13] including the Collaborative International Cassava Seed System Development.
Between 2018-2020, Egesi served as a visiting Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, where he taught Biotechnology leading to the department's attaining its accreditation by the National Universities Commission
Currently a Co-Principal Investigator for Muhogo Bora Project, [14] Global Development – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, USA, Egesi leads the development and implementation of the gender responsive cassava seeds system in Tanzania
Development projects led by Egesi has integrated plant breeding with diverse disciplines, include plant pathology, genomic selection and gender awareness. [15]
As a Global Director for NextGen Cassava, he supported efforts to modernize cassava breeding in sub-Saharan Africa. [16]
In 2022, He was appointed the Executive Director/CEO at National Root Crops Research Institute, [17] Umudike, Nigeria.
Egesi has 120 publications. see ORCID id: ORCID
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