Dr. Oyedeji-Amusa Showcases Award-Winning Nutrition Innovation at 74th GA Congress in France

KIU, Main Campus — Dr. Mariam Oyefunke Oyedeji-Amusa, Senior Lecturer and Innovation Lead in the School of Natural and Applied Sciences at KIU Main Campus, represented the University at the 74th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA), held in Reims, France, from 30 August to 2 September 2026.

Her participation followed her emergence as the Overall Winner of the 2026 GA–Africa Research Network (ARN) Innovation Pitch Competition, earning her a GA Travel Grant to attend the international congress.

At the congress, Dr. Oyedeji-Amusa presented IMAFAM Multigrain-Vegetable Porridge, an innovative food product developed through IMAFAM Food Solution, a Ugandan SME she leads. The product combines locally available grains and vegetables and was developed as a research-driven nutritional solution to help address malnutrition, particularly among children.

Scientific analysis conducted with support from Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has demonstrated the promising nutritional value of the porridge, providing scientific evidence to support its further development and scale-up.

The congress brought together researchers, scientists, innovators, and natural-product experts from different parts of the world, providing an important platform for Dr. Oyedeji-Amusa to showcase KIU-led innovation, build international networks, and explore opportunities for research and commercial partnerships.

“Winning the innovation pitch and presenting IMAFAM on an international platform was an important opportunity to demonstrate how research and locally available resources can be transformed into practical solutions to African challenges. I am proud to represent KIU and Uganda, and I look forward to building partnerships that will help us scale IMAFAM and reach more communities,” Dr. Oyedeji-Amusa said.

She expressed her appreciation to GA and the Africa Research Network, particularly Cica Vissiennon and Dr. Olaf Kelber, for their invaluable support in making her participation possible.

Dr. Oyedeji-Amusa's achievement further demonstrates KIU's growing visibility on the international research and innovation landscape and the University's commitment to supporting solutions that contribute to food security, improved nutrition, and sustainable development in Africa.