Dr. Hapson Mushoriwa currently serves as the Head of Breeding at IITA, where he leads Research for Development (R4D) activities across all IITA mandate crops, while building strategic partnerships, mentoring researchers, and promoting innovation in African agrifood systems.
He holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe.
With over 20 years of experience in crop breeding and seed systems, Dr. Mushoriwa has held key positions in both the public and private sectors, including roles at the Crop Breeding Institute, Seed Co, and Pannar Seed, where he developed and commercialized six soybean varieties widely adopted across sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining IITA in 2023, he was the Regional Breeding Theme Lead at ICRISAT, where he coordinated breeding and seed system efforts for Eastern and Southern Africa and led modernization initiatives. He is an active member of the African Plant Breeders Association and the Zimbabwe Plant Breeders Association