Dr. Jean Baptiste Tignegre, Regional Representative for West Africa at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Project Manager of the Pod Borer-Resistant (PBR) Cowpea initiative, has been named one of the recipients of the 2025 Top Agri-Food Pioneer (TAP) award by the World Food Prize Foundation.
Introduced as part of the Foundation’s 39th anniversary, the TAP award recognizes 39 outstanding individuals from 27 countries who are driving agricultural innovation and transforming global food systems. Dr. Tignegre and fellow honorees will be celebrated during 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, Dr. 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.
Under his guidance, the PBR Cowpea project has delivered high-yielding, pest-resistant cowpea varieties that reduce losses and improve livelihoods for farmers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. First released in Nigeria in 2019, the PBR Cowpea became the country’s first genetically modified (GM) food crop.
In 2024, Dr. Tignegre played a central role in the introduction of PBR Cowpea to Ghana, marking it as the nation’s first-ever GM crop release, and also supported Burkina Faso through the regulatory process for environmental approval.
Dr. Tignegre’s recognition as a TAP awardee reflects his enduring commitment to innovation, food security, and farmer empowerment. His career achievements include:
- Leading the release of four high-yielding cowpea varieties in Burkina Faso (2012), as well as improved onion, tomato, shallot, okra, and African eggplant varieties in Mali and Ghana (2022–2024).
- Pioneering Bt cowpea research in Burkina Faso, including the establishment of Confined Field Trial (CFT) infrastructure and targeted advocacy to civil society and youth.
- Applying advanced breeding methods using special DNA markers (SNPs) to develop cowpea varieties with resistance to Striga, protection against pests, and improved yields.
Congratulating him, Dr. Emmanuel Okogbenin, AATF’s Director of Product Development and Commercialization, stated:
“This honor is the culmination of your many years of dedicated service to farmers and the advancement of agriculture in Burkina Faso and across Africa.”
He added that since joining AATF, Dr. Tignegre has achieved significant milestones on the PBR Cowpea project, notably the product’s release in Ghana and the development of the next-generation variety, PBR CowpeaXtra, which offers greater durability and enhanced resistance to the pod borer Maruca.
In addition, Dr. Tignegre has developed low-cost off-soil vegetable gardening methods and strengthened seed systems and breeding programs across West, Central, and Southern Africa. He has also successfully secured and managed competitive grants from USAID, AGRA, and the Generation Challenge Program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Before joining AATF, he held several leadership roles, including Cowpea and Vegetable Breeder at INERA and the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) from 1990 to 2019; Regional Representative of WorldVeg WCA-Dry Regions (2020–2022); and Head of the Genetics and Plant Biotechnology Laboratory at INERA (2007–2013). He also supported USAID/IITA vegetable initiatives in Mali and Ghana and worked with various regional research systems, including CORAF/WECARD and the University of Mozambique.
Dr. Tignegre’s collaborative research has spanned Africa, Europe, and the United States, with partnerships involving INRAN, ISRA, IITA, ICRISAT, the Kirkhouse Trust, OXFAM, CRS/Cathwel, KAFACI, WACCI–University of Ghana, and the Universities of California-Riverside and Virginia.
Beyond his scientific achievements, he has mentored numerous MSc and PhD students from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, and Mali. He has authored or co-authored over 50 scientific publications and one book, leaving a strong legacy of scientific excellence and capacity building in African agriculture.
