CSIR Nboyine, champion of Ghana’s cowpea revolution, receives National award
Dr. Jerry Asalma Nboyine, Principal Research Scientist at the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI), has been honoured as Ghana’s Best Agriculture Researcher for 2025, at the 41st National Farmers Day celebration in Ho. He received assorted items including a laptop, and a double-door fridge. With more than 14 years of experience, Dr. Nboyine has become a leading voice in climate-resilient pest management and biotechnology with his groundbreaking work spearheaded Ghana’s first genetically modified (GM) cowpea release, approved for farmer cultivation, a milestone in African agricultural innovation.
Beyond Biotechnology
Dr. Nboyine’s impact stretches far beyond GM crops. Through collaborations, he has helped develop multiple conventional varieties of cowpea, sorghum, sweet potato, and groundnuts. His expertise in integrated pest management has improved farming practices not only in Ghana but across Africa, promoting sustainability and resilience in agriculture. He has also championed farmer education, organising field schools and demonstration days in northern Ghana to ensure that innovations reach the people who need them most.
Formerly Team Lead of the Northern Region Farming Systems Research Group, he now heads the Crop Protection and Postharvest Programme at SARI, driving research in pest ecology, biological control, and agro-ecological strategies to strengthen food security nationwide.
The Pod Borer Challenge
For decades, Ghanaian farmers struggled against the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata), a tiny insect, whose larvae hide in cowpea flowers and pods, destroying up to 80 per cent of yields under severe infestations. Farmers were forced to spray insecticides as many as eight times per season, a costly practice that endangered their health, the environment, and pollinators. Conventional breeding offered no lasting solution. Wild cowpea’s relatives showed hints of resistance, but none could be crossed successfully with cultivated varieties.
A Breakthrough: Songotra‑T
Dr. Nboyine and his team achieved a breakthrough by inserting the cry1Ab gene into the cowpea line IT‑86D‑1010, enabling the plant to produce a protein lethal to the pod borer. Rigorous trials confirmed the crop’s safety and effectiveness, and Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority approved its release. The gene was then introgressed into the popular Songotra variety, creating Songotra‑T. Tested across 15 sites in northern Ghana, the new variety proved highly resistant to pod borer infestations and reduced insecticide sprays from eight to just two.
In July 2024, the National Seed Council officially approved Songotra‑T for cultivation. Today, farmers see Songotra‑T not just as a crop, but as a promise: higher yields, fewer chemicals, and a safer path to food security.
Transformative Benefits
Dr Nboyine says innovation will lower costs with insecticide use dropping by 75 per cent, cutting production expenses with reduced spraying the plant protecting consumers, applicators and the ecosystem securing health and the environment. “Farmers can achieve up to 2,000 kg/ha, double the national average with the net returns rising to approximately 500 per cent, compared to 250 per cent for conventional varieties. Food security is guaranteed with the adoption could halve Ghana’s cowpea import deficit of 10,000 mt annually, saving foreign exchange, triggers early maturity ensuring yields even under drought conditions. Beneficiaries include smallholder farmers, commercial growers, seed companies, and consumers across Ghana’s cowpea-growing regions.
Recognition and Legacy
The renowned researcher says the national award and recognition means a lot to him, CSIR, SARI, that their collective efforts were yielding dividends, and a pointer for a more critical work on agricultural research for safeguarding food security. Dr. Nboyine’s contributions are widely recognised with his publications including: Forecasting the Population Development of Within-Season Insect Crop Pests in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Pest Risk Information Service (2024), Mitigating Risk: A Decision-Tool to Enhance Yield and Quality of Peanut in Ghana (2023) and Transgenic Plants and Their Role in Insect Control (2022).
He has received numerous awards at national, regional, and international levels, cementing his reputation as a scientist whose work directly transforms lives.
Source: Corporate Affairs Division
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