The African Plant Breeding Academy (AfPBA) CRISPR Course is implemented through a partnership of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) Members: UC Davis, The Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), IITA, ILRI, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), African Union Development Agency (AUDA) NEPAD, and Morrison Foerster. The course features an intensive 6-week program conducted over one year, enabling course participants in the how-to of CRISPR gene-editing technology, from design through validation.

This course aims to amplify and extend the AOCC/AfPBA outcomes to date by

Leveraging the DNA sequence information of the 101 traditional African crops that include a diversity of vegetable, fruit, nut, legume, oilseed, cereal, and tree species,
Connecting Trait Development to Cultivar Improvement in 520+ breeding programs across 29 African countries, involving 125 crop species including 60 African Orphan Crops,
Expanding the current Community of Practice of 150+ plant breeders who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools to utilize genomic information and resources to accelerate development of improved crop varieties, for a more comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to nutritional security.

The AfPBA CRISPR Course dates for Class III are:

Session 1: Jan 20 – 31, 2025
Session 2: April 28 – May 10, 2025
Session 3: Sept 29 – Oct 10, 2025
with all sessions meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.