Prof. Maxwell Darko Asante
Prof. Maxwell Darko Asante
Designation: Director, CSIR-Crops Research Institute
Qualification: PhD (Plant Breeding)
Email: mdasante@gmail.com
Area of Specialization: Rice Breeding
Current Grade: Chief Research Scientist
Tel: +233 240 194 489
Nationality: Ghanaian
Station: Fumesua, Kumasi (Ghana)
Prof. Maxwell Darko Asante is a Chief Research Scientist and the Immediate Past Deputy Director of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Crops Research Institute (CRI), Kumasi, Ghana.
Prof. Asante obtained a BSc. (Agriculture) degree and a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast in 1998. He also holds an MSc. (Plant Breeding) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (2004), and a Ph.D. (Plant Breeding) from the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, Legon (2012). Recently, he completed an MSc. in Strategic Management and Leadership from KNUST. He is a graduate of Class III of the African Plant Breeding Academy and the Gender-Responsive Cereal Grain Breeding Course (GREAT). He mentors women in Agricultural Science under the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) program.
As the Rice Breeding Lead at CSIR-CRI, Prof. Asante has been instrumental in developing and releasing over 20 rice varieties, significantly contributing to Ghana’s efforts towards rice self-sufficiency. His current research focuses on developing high-yielding, climate-smart rice varieties tolerant to major biotic and abiotic stresses, utilizing conventional, DNA marker-assisted, and biotechnology approaches. He leads the breeding modernization effort at CSIR-CRI and consulted for the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) programme (now known as Breeding and Research Services) in 2021 to modernize breeding programs in Ghana and other African countries. He has also consulted for AGRA, KAPEX- Korea and GIZ-MOVE.
Prof. Asante has attracted over USD 5 million in research and infrastructure support to CSIR-CRI. He has served as Principal Investigator for over 10 rice projects funded by prominent donors, including USAID, BMGF, AGRA, IFAD, and RDA, Korea.
In addition to his research expertise, Prof. Asante holds academic affiliations as an Associate Professor in Plant Breeding and Genetics at the CSIR College of Science and Technology (CCST), Kumasi, Ghana; Guest Lecturer at the Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI), University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; and Associate Faculty at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, Legon.
Prof. Asante’s outstanding contributions have been recognized through several awards, including the Presidential Award for National Best Agricultural Scientist (2018), Overall Best Scientist at CSIR-CRI (2017), Most Influential WACCI Alumnus (2023), and Best Rice Breeding Program Award by KAFACI (2023). He has authored and co-authored over 70 scientific publications, comprising refereed journal papers in highly-rated international journals, book chapters, and conference papers.
A well-traveled scientist, Prof. Asante has attended conferences, workshops, and training programs globally. He was a visiting scientist at the Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, Cornell University, and the USDA, ARS-Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, USA in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Previously, he served as President of the CSIR-CRI branch of the Research Staff Association (RSA) of Ghana from 2017 to 2020.
Prof. Asante is married with three children.
