According to the organisers, the main objective of the workshop held at the Mensvic Hotel between October 21-22 in Accra is to enhance the digitalization of breeding programs and data management.
Dr Chris Ojiewo, the Global Coordinator of AVISA and HOPE II Projects, said the yields of farmers could be improved based on the recommendations of scientists based on quality data.
"The data has to be good quality so that when we make recommendations to the farmer they are data-driven. Otherwise, when we make recommendations that are not data-driven we may make wrong recommendations to the farmer," Dr Ojiewo said.
"The quality of the seed varieties that end up in the hands of the farmers should be backed by strong data which states that the varieties are good and for that to happen we need good data to support it".
The workshop brought together professionals, researchers and students from both public and private sectors in the fields of plant breeding and seed science to discuss current research outputs and outcomes in plant breeding and seed systems.
The workshop funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had participants from Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania.