Tignegre gets 2025 Agri-Food Pioneer award
Dr. Jean Tignegre, West Africa Regional Representative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), has been selected by the World Food Prize Foundation as a recipient of the 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneer (TAP) award.
This announcement was made in a press release issued on Friday in Abuja by Mr. Alex Abutu, AATF’s Communication Officer for West and Central Africa.
According to Abutu, the TAP award celebrates global leaders who are championing innovation in agriculture and enhancing food security. Dr. Tignegre currently serves as the Project Manager for the Pod Borer-Resistant (PBR) Cowpea initiative.
The TAP award, introduced as part of the Foundation’s 39th anniversary, recognises 39 exceptional individuals from 27 countries who are driving agricultural innovation and reshaping global food systems.
“Tignegre and fellow honourees will be celebrated at the prestigious Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2025.
“A globally respected plant breeder with over 30 years of experience in legume and vegetable improvement, Tignegre has made significant contributions to agricultural development across West Africa.
“He previously served as Principal Investigator for the Burkina Faso component of the PBR Cowpea Project before assuming full leadership of the initiative at AATF in 2023,’’ Abutu said.
Abutu noted that under Dr. Tignegre’s leadership, the PBR Cowpea project introduced high-yielding, pest-resistant cowpea varieties, significantly reducing crop losses and boosting farmers’ livelihoods in Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso.
He also played a key role in guiding Burkina Faso through the regulatory process for securing environmental approval for the project.
According to Abutu, Dr. Tignegre’s selection as a TAP award recipient highlights his dedication to agricultural innovation, food security, and empowering farmers.
Among his notable achievements, Tignegre led the release of four improved cowpea varieties in Burkina Faso and contributed to the enhancement of onion, tomato, shallot, okra, and African eggplant varieties in Mali and Ghana.
He also successfully secured and managed competitive research grants from USAID and the Generation Challenge Programme, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.