DR. ERNEST BAAFI APPOINTED DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CSIR-CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The CSIR-Crops Research Institute has appointed Dr. Ernest Baafi, a Principal Research Scientist and a taro breeder at the Institute as its new Deputy Director, with effect from 1st February, 2024. Dr. Baafi replaced the former Deputy Director, Dr. Maxwell Darko Asante, whose two-year tenure ended on 31st January, 2024.
As Deputy Director, he will be responsible for all the technical components of the Institute’s activities.
He will work closely with the Director in implementing the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development thrust of the Institute’s strategic plan and also assist in the preparation of yearly budgets and procurement plans.Dr. Baafi will also manage all research activities and other affairs of all the Institute’s outstations.
PROFILE
Dr. Ernest Baafi holds a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from the University of Ghana, M.Sc. in Agronomy (Plant Breeding) and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He also holds certificate in Agricultural Applied Biotechnology, Leadership, Postharvest Loss Assessment and ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Internal Audit.
Dr. Baafi is a Principal Research Scientist and has worked as a Plant Breeder with the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI) since 2005. His current research work includes the development of end-user preferred cocoyam and taro varieties for Ghana and beyond. His work at CSIR-CRI has contributed significantly to the development and release of four (4) taro varieties and ten (10) sweetpotato varieties, of which he led the development and release of the four (4) taro varieties and six (6) out of the ten (10) sweetpotato varieties. The last release was in 2018 when he led the release of three (3) non-sweet, high dry matter sweetpotato varieties and one (1) less-sweet, high dry matter orange fleshed (OFSP) sweetpotato variety. The release of the four taro varieties in 2017 and the release of the non-sweet, and the high dry matter (OFSP) are novelty as it was the first time ever such varieties were release in Ghana.
He has facilitated a number of national and international training sessions for farmers and Agricultural Extension Officers. He is a very good team player, an attribute which has earned him the opportunity to hold some administrative positions and serve on over 20 Institutional Committees since joining CSIR-CRI. He loves working with farmers in their communities to understand their production challenges, and to extend the appropriate technology interventions to them. He is currently the Coordinator for the Research-Extension-Farmer Linkages Committee (RELC) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, where together with Agricultural-based stakeholders (Researchers, Extension Officers, Farmers, Agro input dealers and other actors on the agric. value chain) are identifying and prioritizing farmers constraints, and disseminating appropriate technologies that are increasing farmers productivity to improve their livelihood. He is currently, the CSIR-CRI Focal Person for the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Project.
Dr. Ernest Baafi has twenty-five (25) referred journals publications to his credit of which he is the lead author of seventeen (17) all published in very reputable international journals. He has also authored many production guides, and number of Technical Reports which were submitted to CSIR Management and donors. He has rich experience in project management and development of research proposals for funding. He is a very good public speaker and this has earned him invitation to speak on current and relevant issues at some meetings/conferences/fora/webinars as a Speaker or the Guest Speaker.
His paper “Exploitation of Genetic Potential of Sweetpotato for End-user Traits improvement” which was the Best Scientific Sweetpotato Paper in 2016, earned him the Scientific Excellence and Innovation Award for 2017. He is the first recipient of the Award. He is a member of the Ghana Science Association and has been on the review board of a number of international scientific journals.
Congratulations to Dr. Baafi on your appointment, and best wishes for a successful tenure of office filled with continued growth, innovation, and achievement. As he assumes this new role, Dr. Baafi’s vision, expertise, and passion for agricultural research will undoubtedly inspire positive change and drive sustainable development in Ghana’s agricultural sector and beyond.
From all the staff of CSIR-Crops Research Institute, we say Congratulations.
