OYSCATECH Council chair, Sanni, ranked top in 2024 World Scientific Ranking

THE management and governing council members of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, have congratulated the chairman of the institution’s governing council, Professor Lateef Oladimeji Sanni, who was recognised as the best Professor at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), ranking among the top three percent of scientists and ranked 47th among Nigerian universities.

In addition to serving as president of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops, Professor Sanni, who is also the Executive Director of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), is a Fellow of the International Academy of Science and Technology (IAFoST), the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria.

In 1990, Sanni received his Bachelor of Science degree with a Second Class Upper Division in the Department of Food Science and Technology from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. In February 1993 and April 1999, respectively, he graduated with a Master of Science degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the Department of Food Technology at the University of Ibadan.

Beginning in 1993 as an Assistant Lecturer, he began his teaching career at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB).

In 2008, he was promoted to the position of Professor of Food Science and Technology.

Over 109 articles have been published in technical journals, 30 books, and 30 conference proceedings by Professor Sanni, who is widely recognised as a brilliant academic.

Together with his colleagues, he has supervised well over one hundred undergraduate students, 17 master’s students, and 24 doctoral students.

A membership in the UK Research and Innovation International Development Peer Review College was awarded to him in 2020, and he was also honoured with a highly commended Award from Emerald Publishing in 2019 alongside his colleagues.

Professor Lateef Sanni won World Bank Facility for Academic Staff of Universities to the Natural Resources Institute, Kent, UK in 1995.

The International Foundation for Science, Sweden, launched Prof. Sanni as a leading contributor to multi-million dollar projects on cassava since 1999.  Under Professor Andrew Westby (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Innovation and Partnership, Greenwich University). Under the direction of Professor Westby, Tomlin Keiths, Ben Bennet, and Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Sanni participated in initiatives funded by the Department of Foreign and International Development (DFID), the European Union (EU), the British Millennium Development Fund (BMGF), the African Union (AAU), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Bank from 1999 to 2019. At the moment, Sanni is being hosted by NRI UK as a visiting professor.

Sanni is a leading postharvest specialists with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria under the leadership of Dr. Alfred Dixon since 2004 till date. He was the Project Coordinator, Cassava Value Chain Development project in West Africa, covering Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin Republic; a three-year project, sponsored by the Common Fund for Commodities from August 2008 to March, 2012. He is the currently BMGF sponsored sustainable Cassava Seed Project tagged BASICS II.

In addition, Sanni is a top postharvest specialist who has been working at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria, since 2004 till date with Dr. Alfred Dixon as his immediate supervisor and mentor. He has been involved with top cassava projects and currently the Project Manager of Sustainable Cassava Seed Project (BASICS II) that is now being financed by the BMGF.

Professor Sanni was honoured with a number of accolades, including the Regional Technology Development in Sub-Saharan Africa Award from the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in 2008.

In January 2011, he was awarded the Research Productivity Award in the Senior Academic Category, and in January 2012, he was given the Most Outstanding International Ambassador Award by the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta.

Between the years 2005 and July 31, 2015, he served as a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Food Science and Technology. At present, Sanni is functioning as a reviewer for a large number of international journals all over the world.

As an alumnus of FUNAAB and a true ambassador for the institution, Professor Lateef Sanni served as a member of the Governing Council of FUNAAB, as well as a former Head of Department, Director, and Dean of the College of Food Science and Human Ecology at FUNAAB and as former Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Development).

Prof. Lateef Sanni is a seasoned scholar, dynamic leader, postharvest innovator on cassava and root crop development, facilitator on enhancement of skills for early career scientists, and consultant national, regional and international organizations.