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With research staff from more than 70 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Kinya Kaibung’a

Kinya Kaibung’a is a Research Officer with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a keen interest in leveraging machine learning, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies to boost climate resilience and food security in smart agriculture systems.

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Since 1975, IFPRI’s research has been informing policies and development programs to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods around the world.

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IFPRI currently has more than 480 employees working in over 70 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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experts

Steven Were Omamo

Director, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG); Director for Africa

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Steven Were Omamo

Bio

Steven Were Omamo is Director of the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He also serves as Director for Africa. Were worked most recently for New Growth International, where he served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President. Previously, he held several leadership positions with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), including as Country Director in Ethiopia, and as Deputy Director and Food Systems Coordinator of the WFP Policy and Programme Division. He has also served as Director of Global Engagement and Research with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and has held positions with the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), and Egerton University, Kenya. Earlier in his career, Were worked at IFPRI as a Research and then Senior Research Fellow. He is an Adjunct Professor of Agricultural Economics at Virginia Tech University and holds PhD and MA degrees from Stanford University, an MS from the University of Connecticut, and a BS from California State University, Fresno.

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Blog Post

Development strategy under the permanent emergency: Building continuity amid crisis

2026Omamo, Steven Were
Details

Development strategy under the permanent emergency: Building continuity amid crisis

Key takeaways • The world has entered a period of permanent emergency defined by continual overlapping crises. • Development strategy must be built to address persistent disruption , not temporary shocks. • Continuity should be the key priority. Strong institutions, infrastructure, and productive sectors help countries keep progressing during crises.

Year published

2026

Authors

Omamo, Steven Were

Citation

Omamo, Steven Were. 2026. Development strategy under the permanent emergency: Building continuity amid crisis. IFPRI Blog Post. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/development-strategy-under-the-permanent-emergency-building-continuity-amid-crisis/

Keywords

Resilience; Food Access

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Blog Post

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Blog Post

Nigeria’s fuel, fertilizer, and food prices feel the strain of the Iran conflict

2026Kirui, Oliver Kiptoo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph; Hebebrand, Charlotte; Omamo, Steven Were
Details

Nigeria’s fuel, fertilizer, and food prices feel the strain of the Iran conflict

Nigeria is once again under economic pressure from a shock that originated far from its borders, as it faces high global fuel and fertilizer prices triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. For a country still recovering from the inflationary aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, the timing could hardly be worse. The shock is reaching Nigeria through three tightly linked channels, fuel, fertilizer, and food, and it threatens to reverse a hard-won decline in food inflation.

Year published

2026

Authors

Kirui, Oliver Kiptoo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph; Hebebrand, Charlotte; Omamo, Steven Were

Citation

Kirui, Oliver Kiptoo; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph; Hebebrand, Charlotte; Omamo, Steven Were. 2026. Nigeria’s fuel, fertilizer, and food prices feel the strain of the Iran conflict. IFPRI Blog Post. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/nigerias-fuel-fertilizer-and-food-prices-feel-the-strain-of-the-iran-conflict/

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Iran; Western Africa; Africa; Middle East; Northern Africa; Food Access; Food Prices; Markets; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Blog Post

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Effects of the Iran conflict on fuel, fertilizer, and food prices in Nigeria

2026Kirui, Oliver K.; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph W.; Hebebrand, Charlotte; Omamo, Steven Were
Details

Effects of the Iran conflict on fuel, fertilizer, and food prices in Nigeria

Nigeria faces a new wave of economic pressure from the ongoing Iran conflict, with disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz causing sharp increases in global oil and fertilizer prices and threatening to reverse the recent decline in Nigeria’s food inflation. Although Nigeria could benefit from higher oil and fertilizer export revenues due to its expanding domestic refining and urea production capacity, the country remains heavily dependent on imported refined fuel, potash, phosphate, and other fertilizer inputs. Rising transport, logistics, and production costs are already increasing pressure on farmers, food systems, and household welfare. At the same time, however, the crisis presents a strategic opportunity for Nigeria to strengthen domestic refining, expand fertilizer production, deepen regional trade, and reposition itself as a major supplier of fuel and fertilizer across Africa.

Year published

2026

Authors

Kirui, Oliver K.; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph W.; Hebebrand, Charlotte; Omamo, Steven Were

Citation

Kirui, Oliver K.; Fasoranti, Adetunji; Bamiwuye, Temilolu; Balana, Bedru; Glauber, Joseph W.; et al. 2026. Effects of the Iran conflict on fuel, fertilizer, and food prices in Nigeria. NSSP Policy Note 58. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/183398

Country/Region

Nigeria

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Conflicts; Impact; Fuels; Fertilizers; Food Prices; Inflation; Value Chains

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Events

African Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2026
IFPRI at External Event

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August 31 to September 4, 2026

African Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2026

The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) will host its 20th Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda from 31 August to 4 September 2026, under the theme “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience.” The Summit will bring together stakeholders from across the agri-food sector for a programme of plenary sessions, technical discussions, […]

Three Years of Conflict: What the Evidence Tells Us and What Recovery Requires
Series/Special Event

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April 14 to 15, 2026

Three Years of Conflict: What the Evidence Tells Us and What Recovery Requires

April 2026 marks three years since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, which has severely disrupted economic activity, food systems, and social services. More than half of the country’s population is in need of assistance, and communities, markets, and institutions are under unprecedented pressure.

Launch of the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM) 2025
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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December 16, 2025, 12:00 – 2:00 pm

Launch of the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM) 2025

AKADEMIYA2063 and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in partnership with AGRA, are convening a hybrid launch event to unveil and discuss the findings of the Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM) 2025. This annual publication monitors and highlights trends in African agrifood trade, including intra-African trade, the continent’s participation in global trade, insights into […]

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News

June 23, 2026 | Press Release

IFPRI launches Africa Strategy to advance evidence-based agrifood systems transformation

New strategy deepens partnerships with African institutions to strengthen implementation, policy capability, and impact across agrifood systems.

September 03, 2025 | Press Release

Celebrating 50 Years of Impact and Informing Food Policies Across Africa

IFPRI marks its 50th anniversary with a special event at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar.

September 02, 2025 | Press Release

Launch of IFPRI’s 2025 Global Food Policy Report at Africa Food Systems Forum

IFPRI and AGRA will host a high-level Africa launch of IFPRI’s 2025 GFPR, “Food Policy: Lessons and Priorities for a Changing World,” at AFSF, highlighting linkages to the new CAADP agenda.

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