Focus on Africa Can DRC be declared ebola free?

Summary

Africa Daily – Focus on Africa: Can DRC be Declared Ebola Free?

Podcast: Africa Daily (BBC World Service)
Air Date: October 21, 2025
Host: Nyasha Michelle

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Overview: Main Theme & Episode Purpose

This episode examines three key African stories:

1. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) milestone in its latest Ebola outbreak, exploring whether it can now be declared Ebola-free.
2. Rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea concerning Red Sea access, including the wider regional and international implications.
3. The awarding of the Africa Food Prize to Nigerian scientist Mercy Diabouru Ojo for her groundbreaking work on disease-free yam and cassava crops.

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Segment 1: DRC’s 16th Ebola Outbreak – Are We Ebola-Free?

[00:55–12:20]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Ebola Outbreak’s Current Status

  • Last Ebola patient discharged from Kasai Province (DRC) on October 20, 2025, launching a 42-day countdown to officially declaring the outbreak over (if no new cases appear).
  • Latest outbreak specifics: 64 reported cases (53 confirmed), 43 deaths.

• Interview with Dr. Daniela Mano [03:54–12:20]

  • Clinical Epidemiologist, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; led large Ebola vaccine trial in DRC.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Official Status

  • "No, it's not officially over. On the 20th of October, the last case was discharged from hospital, which is brilliant news. So from that day, the 42 days countdown has now begun."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [03:54]

• Significance of the Milestone

  • Changes since first outbreak in 1976: “Now we have two vaccines that have been licensed … we are more ready to respond … worked on new treatments, vaccines, diagnostics.”
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [04:26-05:19]

• Key Lessons Learned

  • Community involvement and ring vaccination (vaccinating contacts and their contacts) are critical to halting transmission.
  • "Ebola transmission can be stopped only when there is a collaboration of the community."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [05:36]

• Role of Vaccinations

  • Vaccines are now integral, with early vaccines and treatments greatly reducing mortality.
  • "It's extremely important because now vaccines are an integral part of the response."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [06:38]

• Causes of Continued Occasional Outbreaks

  • Ebola’s likely reservoir is in wildlife (probably bats), with rising human-animal contact due to environmental change.
  • "With environmental degradation … increasing the contacts between humans and wildlife, there is the chance that these outbreaks will increase."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [07:34]

• Who Is Most at Risk?

  • Health care workers and caregivers (often women, due to traditional roles); pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
  • "Pregnant women are particularly at risk ... they are more likely to transmit infection to healthcare professionals, because ... obstetric care often involves exposure to blood."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [08:35]

• Recognizing Symptoms & Need for Better Diagnosis

  • Initial symptoms are non-specific: fever, muscle/bone pain, headache, followed by diarrhea/vomiting and, in advanced cases, hemorrhaging.
  • "It's really important that when the community is worried about a disease that doesn't seem to improve ... to get the attention of healthcare workers and healthcare systems."
    — Dr. Daniela Mano [11:05]

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Segment 2: Ethiopia-Eritrea Tensions & Red Sea Dispute

[12:20–22:21]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Background: Ethiopia lost Red Sea access after Eritrea's independence (1993). Ethiopia, now landlocked, seeks to regain access, focusing on the port of Assab.

• Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Position:
  "If we are thinking of living together, ... we all have to share what we have in a balanced way."
  — Abiy Ahmed [13:00]

• Historical Context Explained by Analyst Abdul Rahman Syed

  • Details 1952 UN-imposed federal union, subsequent violation, eventual Eritrean independence.
  • No inherent access issue under international law, but current tensions are due to perceived Ethiopian annexation ambitions.

• Current Tensions:

  • Ethiopia’s demands for access seen as aggressive, with suspicions they may seek outright sovereignty over strategic ports in Eritrea (Assab) and Somalia (Berbera in Somaliland).
  • Neighboring countries—Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia—firmly resist any annexation.

• Role of Outside Actors – The UAE

  • The United Arab Emirates seen as backing Ethiopia’s quest for sea access, seeking military and commercial dominance in the Horn of Africa.
  • The UAE has sought port agreements for military bases and trade strength.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "There is now external factors that is pushing the Ethiopian government …[the] visible one at present is the United Arab Emirates, which has very strong relationship with the Ethiopian Prime Minister."
  — Abdul Rahman Syed [16:06, 19:27]

• "The UAE's regional policy has been aggressively pursued to exert influence over countries well beyond the UAE Gulf region. The Horn of Africa is one of them."
  — Abdul Rahman Syed [19:27]

• On Prospects for War

  • Both Ethiopia and Eritrea’s leaders use external threats to sustain their hold on power.
  • "Both countries may also want to use the threat of war or the war itself to prolong their rules...Other than that, I do not personally see any benefit to either countries and either regimes going to war."
    — Abdul Rahman Syed [21:22]

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Segment 3: Feeding Africa – Disease-Free Yams & Cassava Win Top Prize

[23:09–30:31]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Prize Overview

  • Dr. Mercy Diabouru Ojo awarded Africa Food Prize for research that revolutionizes access to disease-free yam and cassava planting materials via hydroponic technology.

• Nature of the Breakthrough

  • Traditional dependence on re-planting “chunks” of prior harvests leads to accumulation of diseases such as cassava brown streak virus.
  • New hydroponics-based multiplication produces planting materials free from pathogens, boosting yields and farmer livelihoods.

• Expanded Reach

  • The seed system now covers >15 African countries, starting in Nigeria and expanding to DRC, Angola, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and more.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On her motivation
  "When you know that you are making more impact in lives, in people's lives, farmers' lives especially, then you are driven … by more inspiration to do more."
  — Mercy Diabouru Ojo [24:20]

• Explaining the Problem & Solution
  "The problem has always been there… But is the solution… farmers accessing high quality planting materials for vegetatively propagated crops like cassava, like yam."
  — Mercy Diabouru Ojo [25:16]

• Describing Technology Impact
  "After using this tool, this technology to massively produce this planting material, we had to set up a seed system … to multiply and make them available to downstream farmers. It has never been like that in the past."
  — Mercy Diabouru Ojo [27:33]

• On Young People in Agriculture
  “Personally, young people and women, I’m very passionate and particular about those groups … to empower them to make sure they become successful when they come on board.”
  — Mercy Diabouru Ojo [29:24]

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Timestamps to Major Segments

• Ebola in DRC & Dr. Daniela Mano Interview: [00:55–12:20]
• Ethiopia-Eritrea Red Sea Tensions (feat. Abdul Rahman Syed): [12:20–22:21]
• Africa Food Prize Interview with Dr. Mercy Diabouru Ojo: [23:09–30:31]

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Memorable Moments

• “Ebola transmission can be stopped only when there is a collaboration of the community.” —Dr. Daniela Mano [05:36]
• “Both countries may also want to use the threat of war or the war itself to prolong their rules...” —Abdul Rahman Syed [21:22]
• “The sector is now more attractive. Yes, we still have issues here and there, but … you have it more attractive, more urban and all of that.” —Mercy Diabouru Ojo [29:24]

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Episode Takeaways

• The DRC is on the cusp of declaring an end to its 16th Ebola outbreak, thanks to vaccines, rapid intervention, and vital community involvement.
• Tensions over Red Sea access illuminate not only regional rivalries between Ethiopia and Eritrea but also the powerful influence of Gulf States like the UAE in African geopolitics.
• Innovations in agricultural science, such as disease-free seed systems for yam and cassava, can offer dramatic improvements for food security and rural livelihoods across Africa.

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For more big stories and African perspectives, follow "Focus on Africa" from BBC World Service.

Transcript

[Nyasha Michelle]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London. And this is the Global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Hello, I'm Yasha Michelle. And here's what's coming up for you on this edition of FOCUS on Africa. As the last Ebola patient is released, the Dr. Congo begins a 42 day countdown to mark the end of the outbreak. What's fueling the latest conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea concerning the Red Sea?

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

There is now external factors that is pushing the Ethiopian government even encouraging and supporting their quest to annex territories from Eritrea or Somalia. Those external factors, the visible one at present is the United Arab Emirates, which has very strong relationship with the Ethiopian prime minister.

[Nyasha Michelle]

And a Nigerian scientist takes home this year's prestigious Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava countries in.

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Regions like eastern Africa. You can have your materials planted and after one year you come to nothing because of a virus called the cassava brown streak virus. You have your entire roots totally damaged.

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

Foreign.

[Nyasha Michelle]

It's Tuesday 21st October 1st. We go to the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's health workers in Dr. Congo celebrating as the final patient leaves the Ebola treatment center in Kasai Province after recovering from the disease. Here is the World Health Organization's incident manager for the ebola response team, Dr. Mori Keita, sharing more on the patient.

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

He's a 31 year old male. He started developing symptoms on 13th of September in a camp which prompted him to visit a health facility in Bulabee center where his brother maybe alerted our surveillance team to come and investigate him. So this patient was finally admitted on 25th of September as a suspected case of Ebola virus disease. He was tested the following day as positive.

[Nyasha Michelle]

In case you weren't aware, Ebola symptoms include fever, diarrhea and hemorrhaging. Most cases are fatal unless treated. The virus spreads through close contact with the blood or body fluids of a sick person or someone who has died from the disease. The discharging of the latest patient is a major milestone. The latest outbreak was the DRC's 16th to date. The first case in this latest episode was declared in early September in The Bulape and Weka areas of the Kasai province in the country's southwest. And in total there were 64 reported cases, of which 53 were confirmed and 43 people died. So does this latest news mean that the outbreak is officially over? I asked Dr. Daniela Mano. She is a clinical epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and led a large scale Ebola vaccine trial in Dr. Congo.

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

No, it's not officially over. On the 20th of October, the last case was discharged from hospital, which is a brilliant news. So from that day, the 42 days countdown has now begun. If there's no new cases during this period, then the outbreak will be declared over at the beginning of December.

[Nyasha Michelle]

This is the 16th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was discovered there in 1976. What does this milestone represent to you?

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

I mean, it's an incredible achievement for several reasons. Since the first Ebola outbreak was discovered in DRC in 1976, many things happened. Now we have two vaccines that have been licensed against the, especially against Ebola virus disease, which is one of the species of Ebola disease. But in general, we are more ready to respond to an outbreak. We identify outbreak earlier, we are able to respond more efficiently, and we are also able to work with the population where the outbreak is to actually collaborate on the response. So I think we had a great advancement, especially since the largest outbreak that hit West Africa in 2015. That was the point when researchers realized that Ebola is a threat. So they came together and they worked on new treatment vaccines, diagnostic. So now we see the results of that advancement.

[Nyasha Michelle]

So the DRC has experienced several Ebola outbreaks in the past. Right. So what key lessons have been learned from those experiences?

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

DRC is more ready to respond to an outbreak and we have seen that they were actually quite efficient responding to this outbreak. In particular, they managed to bring vaccines to the place and organise our mass vaccination there. So for Ebola, there is this strategy of vaccinating contacts of cases and contacts of contact, which is a strategy called as ring vaccination. It's very effective in stopping the transmission when all the contacts are identified. Another thing that we learned is that the involvement of the community is absolutely paramount. Ebola transmission can be stopped only when there is a collaboration of the community. So people in the community stop looking after sick relatives without protection and they don't engage in traditional funeral practices.

[Nyasha Michelle]

You mentioned their vaccinations. How crucial then was the vaccination campaign in helping the DRC Reach this point.

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

It'S extremely important because now vaccines are an integral part of the response. Teams try to identify cases so they can provide, provide the best care for people that are infected by Ebola. And we know that if we provide early treatment to cases, they can be saved. So mortality is much lower if you provide treatment. At the same time during the response, they try to identify all the contacts of cases who have potentially been infected and those contacts are put in isolation and vaccinated so they stop spreading the infection one to another. And also if they have been infected and they are at the beginning of the infection, the symptoms can be reduced if you provide the vaccine.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Now, despite progress that we're seeing, we still see occasional outbreaks. What are the main underlying causes?

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

Yeah, this is a really good question. So the Ebola viruses and there are different species, Ebola virus disease is one of them. They are present in the wildlife. We don't know exactly which animal is the natural reservoir of the virus. We think that it's probably bats, but animal host has not been confirmed. But we know that the virus is circulating in the wildlife Currently, with environmental degradation and human habitats that interact more frequently with animal habitats, increasing the contacts between humans and wildlife, there is the chance that these outbreaks will increase. But definitely they will continue to happen in the future, so we will continue to see them occasionally.

[Nyasha Michelle]

And as of October 15th of this year, with this latest outbreak, there were 45 deaths. So when they do occur, these outbreaks, who tends to be most at risk?

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

There are countries that had previous Ebola outbreaks, and so these countries are more at risk of future Ebola outbreaks because the animal reservoir is there. But within those countries, the people that probably are more at risk are healthcare workers who get in contact early with cases. And if they don't know that a patient has Ebola, obviously maybe they don't use their personal protective equipment and get infected. And then the other people that are more at risk are caregivers. So people in the community that care after sick relatives, for example, women, are particular risk because they have traditional caregivers roles in those countries and they look after sick relatives or they engage in traditional funeral practices where the body of the disease is prepared and washed. And then one particular thing about this outbreak in Kasai is that the first identified case was a pregnant woman. Pregnant women are particularly at risk because they're in contact with, with the healthcare system to their pregnancy. And so they are at risk of getting the infection if the infection is spreading in hospitals. And they are also more likely to transmit infection to healthcare professionals, because we know that obstetric care often involves exposure to blood. And so one pregnant woman with an Ebola case can infect healthcare workers and relatives, because it's the nature of the obstetric care that involves fluid loss. What we have seen from previous outbreak, not only of Ebola, but also other diseases like Marburg in Rwanda, is that the collaboration with the community is very important. So if they see a case that is a suspected case, they could report it to the healthcare system. And it's important to make clear the fact that if a case is identified and looked after earlier, it can be saved. So early treatment can actually save lives. So it's important that there is this collaboration with the community.

[Nyasha Michelle]

And from what you have said, clearly the community has been working with authorities on this, which has helped with the curbing of the outbreak and hopefully it stays that way. But for anyone who is listening, who might not necessarily know, who might not necessarily be very familiar with it, what are the symptoms that people should look out for that might be indication of Ebola virus?

[Dr. Daniela Mano]

That's a good question. And unfortunately the initial symptoms are very specific. So the initial symptoms are fever, pain in the muscles and bones, headache, so various specific symptoms. And then there could be diarrhea or vomit. And only in later cases there are the classic hemorrhagic symptoms like blood loss from vomit and diarrhea or spots on the skin. So I think it's really important that when the community is worried about a disease that doesn't seem to improve and is getting worse, to get the attention of healthcare workers and healthcare systems. And then one thing that is extremely important is also that the healthcare workers, they suspect the possibility of Ebola disease. Now, one thing that could be improved is actually the diagnosis. Sometimes it's difficult to have a diagnostic test in areas that are remote that can help identify that the infection is due to one of the Ebola viruses. So there is things that we have to improve is just how to allow diagnosis closer to the patient so near patient. Diagnostic tools are quite important.

[Nyasha Michelle]

That was Dr. Daniela Manor from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Tensions are once again simmering in the Horn of Africa, where history, geography and politics are colliding. In 2023, Ethiopia reignited a dispute over access to the Red Sea. Access it lost. Following Eritrea's independence, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, addressed parliament about the issue between his country and neighbouring Eritrea concerning the Red Sea.

[Abiy Ahmed]

Our rivers flow to all neighboring countries. There is no neighboring country that does not receive water from us. Indeed, it is fresh drinking water. If we were only receiving, there wouldn't be a problem. There is no one country that provides Ethiopia with 1 liter of fresh water. All of them are receivers. They deserve it and we will still provide them in abundance. But it is not right to say, let's share yours, don't seek ours. If we are thinking of living together, if we are thinking of having peace, we all have to share what we have in a balanced way.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Now landlocked Ethiopia says the Red Sea and the Nile are essential to its country's existence. While Eritrea's Information Minister dismissed that rhetoric and described Ethiopia's focus on it as bizarre and mind boggling, Addis Ababa has now gone further, signaling intent to reclaim control of the Red Sea port of Assab from Eritrea. So how did we get to the brink of this conflict? Earlier I spoke to Abdul Rahman Syed, a UK based Horn of Africa analyst.

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

Ethiopia lost access to the sea when Eritrea became officially independent in 1993, but it was liberated from Ethiopia in 1991. Now the access to the sea was granted through a federal union between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Ethiopia which was imposed by the United nations in 1952. However, that federal union was violated by the Ethiopian government at the time, which then gave a push to the Eritrean demand for total independence from Ethiopia, having lost their autonomy and the federal union. So the Ethiopian access to the sea was already made subject to conflict as well as a dispute because of the violation of that federal union. Prior to that federal union 1952, Ethiopia never had any kind of access to the Red Sea or any other sea, including the Indian Ocean. The 1952 Union having been violated, which resulted then in conflict between eritreans and Ethiopians. First political conflict 1952-1962. But a year prior to that 1962, armed struggle in a small scale was initiated in Eritrea and then finally culminated in total liberation in 1991. And then through an official referendum which was supervised by the United nations in 1993. This was a referendum to ask the Eritrean people whether to vote for independence or to stay united with Ethiopia. And the outcome of that referendum was 99.8% in favor of independence. And that's how Ethiopia officially lost any access to the sea.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Okay, now let's talk about this latest tension between the two countries. Is it because Ethiopia wants to secure sea access?

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

The issue is quite complex. Initially there wasn't any problem Ethiopia having access to the sea under international law, but also the relationship that existed between the current Ethiopian government and The Eritrean and Somali governments in 2018, in fact, they had an agreement signed in Asmara, in the Eritrean capital, and then later on in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which consolidated some kind of cooperation with Ethiopia that included economic as well as security and other aspects of bilateral relations. The third factor is Ethiopia's use of seaports in Eritrea or even in Djibouti and Somalia. It benefits not only Ethiopia, but also the coastal countries like Eritrea and Djibouti and Ethiopia, in the case of Djibouti, it's one of their main sources of income, which generates $1.5 billion every year. So there is no access problem to the Ethiopians when it comes to using the ports on the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean. The problem is coming when Ethiopians are demanding to annex sovereign territories from Eritrea at some point also from Somalia, through some kind of lease agreement or total compromise on the sovereign territories of those countries in favour to being annexed to the Ethiopian side, which has been resisted strongly by the Eritrean, the Djiboutian, and the Somali government. So that's the main issue. There is now external factors that is pushing the Ethiopian government even encouraging and supporting their quest to annex territories from Eritrea or Somalia. Those external factors, the visible one at present is the United Arab Emirates, which has very strong relationship with the Ethiopian Prime Minister. And they probably assumed that he would be also a very good ally in their quest to have dominance over the ports on the Red Sea or Indian Ocean. For that reason, in fact, the UAE tried to have some arrangements with the Djiboutians, which did not succeed, and then moved to the Eritrean side. And they tried to lease a space to the north of the Eritrean port of Assad, mainly for military purposes in their campaign against the Houthis across the sea in Yemen. So the UAE recently have become very much interested in the Horn of Africa as well as in North Africa. So there are those factors also that is pushing the UAE to encourage, even support, supply and finance any military adventures that the Ethiopians may wish to take. In this regard, the main interest so far has been in Somalia's Somaliland region and mainly the port of Berbera, and in Eritrea, the port of Assab. Those are the two that the Ethiopians are trying to annex, either the two of them or one of the two. And in either case, there is a UAE interest because those two ports are very close to the Bab El Mandeb, which is the southern door to the Red Sea, connecting the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Okay, let's just hone In a little bit on the UAE's influence. Is the UAE pushing Ethiopia to take over the port as part of a regional strategy to gain control over key regional ports? And if so, why would it be trying to do that?

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

The UAE's regional policy has been aggressively pursued to exert influence over countries well beyond the UAE Gulf region. The Horn of Africa is one of them. And Ethiopia happens to be the large in terms of territory as well as population in the region. So having control over Ethiopia means direct control over the Horn of Africa and parts of the Red Sea. This may be considered in the UAE policy as beneficial both economically and militarily. We've seen their interest in the port of Aden, We've seen their interest also in the port Sudan and also the island of Socotra. And these are all very close to the Horn of Africa.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of supporting the insurgents and rebel groups in Tigray, Amhara and Oromo regions in the north. Is that the case and if so, what is it trying to achieve?

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

The support for rebalists in fact started with the Ethiopian government in the last two years. When the Ethiopian government decided to severe relations with the Eritreans and then create this issue of annexing an Eritrean port, they immediately started reaching out to some Eritrean opposition groups. So they actually started the support of Eritrean opposition groups, including armed Eritrean groups. And the Eritrean side currently may consider to do likewise support Ethiopian rebels. However, the Ethiopian Tigrayans and the Ethiopian Amharas, including the Oromos, are already heavily armed and well experienced groups that have been in conflict with the Ethiopian central government well before the current stalemate between the Eritrean and the Ethiopian governments. So anything that comes from the Eritrean side at present may not make a huge difference to the status quo of the groups.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Do you believe that there may be a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea?

[Abdul Rahman Syed]

Both countries are very poor. Although both countries may also want to use the threat of war or the war itself to prolong their rules over Eritrea and Ethiopia. Especially in Eritrea, there is no government that is accountable to the population. There hasn't been any kind of election for the last last 34 years. There is no constitution or constitutional institutions in the country and therefore the rule there draws legitimacy by constantly using the threat of coming from outside to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Eritrea. And that means the only way of continuing the kind of draconian rule by just keeping the population hostage to external threats. And similarly, the Ethiopian seems to be following the same footage by just creating this external conflicts or crises Other than that, I do not personally see any benefit to either countries and either regimes going to war.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Abdul Rahman Syed, a Horn of Africa analyst. This is Focus on Africa from the BBC World Service.

[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nyasha Michelle]

A Nigerian scientist, Ello Mercy Diabouru Ojo has been awarded this year's prestigious Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava, which are both major food staples in Africa. She was awarded the prize by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, also known as iith, for her pioneering work in cassava and yam seed systems. Traditionally, farmers in Nigeria, which produces 70% of the world's yams, replant chunks of yams and cassava from the previous year's harvest to grow the year's crops. As a result, the plants gradually lose their resistance to disease, which poses a serious problem. This is where Mercy's research comes in. It involves growing the plants with out soil in greenhouses, a method known as hydroponic. This protects them from disease and results in an increased yield. I jumped on a call with her to find out more about this promising achievement. Firstly, congratulations on the award. What has the journey to this stage been like so far?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Thank you very much. I don't actually know where to start from, but I would say it was just a normal call to work, being employed in an institute like iita. You have your deliverables and all of that. The impact to keep pushing you. When you know that you are making more impact in lives, in people's life, farmers life especially, then you are driven, you know, by more inspiration to do more. So I think that was basically it then. The fact that this is novel technology that I was working on and seeing it revolutionize the sector, the cassava sector, the yam sector, was really heartwarming.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Oh, the young girls who are into them subjects must be so inspired as they listen to you and to yourself. Absolutely. But I want you to explain to me briefly about your research, the problem you found and the solution your research presented.

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

The problem has always been there. I did not discover the problem, it's always been identified. But is the solution of course, there have been a lot of efforts, you know, to tackle the solution or to tackle the problem, as it were. And this problem I'm talking about is just farmers accessing high quality planting materials for vegetatively propagated crops like cassava, like yam. That's been a problem. The researchers, the breeders, have been working several years to develop new varieties. They've been successful in doing this, but these varieties end up sitting on the shelves of because there are no planting materials for the farmers. So this technology or this research basically is a research rapidly multiplying planting materials in very healthy condition and making them accessible to farmers at affordable price. And this is these materials free from different type of diseases, viruses, you know, bacterias and other pathogens. These are diseases that can reduce drastically the yields or the potentials of the crop. You know, in countries in regions like Eastern Africa, you can have your materials planted and after one year you come to nothing because of a virus called the cassava brown streak virus. You have your entire roots totally damaged and you don't get anything. And all of these. Yes, there are several factors, but a major factor is you using diseased planting material.

[Nyasha Michelle]

And so what we have, planting materials, just so I have an understanding, are essentially chunks of yams and cassava from the previous year's harvest. Right? Is that correct?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Absolutely. They've been recycled? Yes.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Over years?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Yes.

[Nyasha Michelle]

And your solution is seeds that don't have those viruses?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Absolutely. 100%. 100%.

[Nyasha Michelle]

How accessible are these seeds to the regular farmer now?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Like I'm saying now, they are very accessible. And what we did on that project, called the Basis project, is after using this tool, this technology to massively produce this planting material, we had to set up a seed system or seed companies of farmers that are now of taking these planting materials to multiply and make them available to downstream farmers. It has never been like that in the past. You release this variety, breeders work on this variety, they develop them. But in fact, some, some of the varieties never get into the hands of farmers. The yields they are getting, it has improved their livelihood, it has improved their businesses, and all of that.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Cassava and yam is consumed in many parts of the continent. Where is the seed system available on the continent?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Started from Nigeria. We have in Dr. Congo, we have in Angola, we have in Sierra Leone, we have in Tanzania, Zambia, we have in Mozambique, then we have in Malawi. For Malawi is with the private sector. And that's another good thing about it. Togo, Cote d' Ivoire as well. So we have about 15 African countries for cassava with using this developed C system model that we started with in Nigeria.

[Nyasha Michelle]

All right, Mercy, Now a lot of young people are becoming increasingly interested in farming, right?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Yes.

[Nyasha Michelle]

So this discovery that you have done, as I said earlier, it must really excite those who are interested in STEM subjects in particular. But if there's anyone who is listening who is interested in agricultural farming, would you encourage them to even, even explore yams and cassava as one of the foods that they could be planting and selling?

[Mercy Diabouru Ojo]

Absolutely, 100%. I'm even welcoming. I'm encouraging as much even. We have lots of Africans in diaspora who wants to come back and invest in agriculture. Please come. You are welcome. And I will tell you, the sector is now more attractive. Yes, we still have issues here and there, but notwithstanding, you have it more attractive, more urban and all of that. So we have new technologies, we have new varieties to help enable. You have this, what I call more of intensive agriculture rather than extensive, where you have to look for land and lands to, you know, cultivate. And you are getting very little. But now with a very little land resource, you can get more using this good technology. So, yes, we need more people to come on board so that we can do more together. Personally, young people and women, I'm very passionate and particular about those groups to come come into agriculture. And we try to work together and see how we can empower them to make sure they become successful when they come on board.

[Nyasha Michelle]

Hello, Mercy. Diabouru Ojo, scientist and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Prize winner in Nigeria. Focus on Africa was put together by Mark Wilberforce, Alfonso Daniels, Yvette Tuaguera Maria and Stefania Okereke in the London, Patricia Whitehorn was the senior producer and Chris Cazares the technical producer. Our editors are Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi. I'm Nyasha Michelle. I'll speak to you next time.

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