Eric Yirenkyi Danquah

Eric Yirenkyi Danquah is a Ghanaian plant geneticist, professor, founding director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) and former director of the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Ghana.

Early life and education Danquah attended Akosombo Experimental School (1964-1972), and the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) in Legon (1972-1979). He graduated with a BSc in Agriculture (Crop Science) from the University of Ghana in 1984. He then worked as an intern at a dairy and cereals farm in Germany, before returning to Ghana to complete his national service with the Ghana Education Service. He completed an MPhil in plant breeding at the Department of Applied Biology at the University of Cambridge on a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Shared Scholarship.

His teaching has included Introductory Genetics, Principles of Biotechnology, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Molecular Genetics and Population Genetics in the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences. He has co-supervised more than 20 post-graduate and PhD students. In 2006, at Michigan State University, he developed a curriculum for Biosafety in Biotechnology, for training of students and scientists in West Africa.

West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) In 2007, Danquah became the Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana, with the "aim of training a new generation of plant breeders to develop improved varieties of staple crops in West and Central Africa". In its first ten years, WACCI attracted more than $30M US dollars of R&D funding, and trained more than 120 PhD and 49 MPhil students in Seed Science and Technology from 19 African countries. This led to more than 60 improved seed varieties, including superior maize hybrid varieties, which will help boost yield for farmers and contribute towards food and nutrition security.

Awards and recognition In 2020, he was selected to serve on the board of the Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement established by the United States Agency for International Development.

Danquah is the recipient of many awards, including the Distinguished Award for Meritorious Service from the University of Ghana in 2013, and the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) World Agriculture Prize in 2018 for his "significant contribution to the mission of the University of Ghana through education, research and knowledge transfer for the benefit of society". In 2018, Danquah was awarded the Outstanding Academic Leadership Award in recognition of his contribution to the development of agribusiness in Africa by the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana. In 2023, Danquah was named one of the "100 Most Reputable Africans" by the Reputation Poll International.

He has held many honorary and advisory positions, including:

President of the African Plant Breeders Association Member of the Business and Executive, Finance and Estimates Committees, and Assessor for Sciences on the Appointments Board of the University of Ghana Member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Standing Advisory Group for Nuclear Applications (SAGNA) Africa’s representative on the Maize Genetics Executive Committee Member of the Centre of Specialisation Management Committee of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme Advisor for the Science Council of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)