April 6 2009
Dr. Chiedozie Egesi was awarded the best scientist award for 2008 by the National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria.

March 25-28 2009
Visit of the Nigerian Bio Safety Delegation, Dr. Chiedozie Egesi, BC Plus In-Country Manager for Nigeria; Professor Jonathan Ekepere, Chairman, National Biosafety Committee, Dr. Kenneth Nwosu, Executive Director, NRCRI, Mr. Matthew Dore, BC Plus Consultant, Mr. Ademola Usman, head, National Biosafety Office; Mr. Rufus Ebegba, Biosafety officer, National biosafety Office, and Professor Sylvia Uzochukwu, Chairperson, NBC Technical Sub-Committee to view the CFT trails in Puerto Rico.

March 16-18 2009
Training course, organized by BC Plus and office of International Programs (OIP) at NRCRI, Umudike, Nigeria, to train field personnel, regulators, and plant quarantine officials on conduct of a CFT.

March 2009
Arrival of the African trainee, Mr. Evans Nyaboga, to ETH, Switzerland.

Arrival of the African trainee, Mr. Alfred Ubalua, to IITA, Nigeria.

March 2 2009
Nigerian Minister of the Environment issues a permit to NRCRI and BC Plus to conduct confined field trial (CFT) of pro-Vitamin A enriched GM cassava events.

February 9 2009
BC Plus PI and PDM visit GC9 and Science and Technology Senior Program Officers of the Gates Foundation.

January 2009
Arrival of the African Trainees: Mr. Paul Kuria; Mr. Solomon Afuape; Mr. Shuaibu Kahya; and Ms. Ihuoma Umezurumba at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the beginning of the six month training period for African Scientists.

17 December 2008
Application to hold a confined field trial (CFT) of pro-Vitamin A enriched GM cassava events submitted to the Internal Bio safety Committee (IBC) of KARI.

27 November 2008
Application to hold a confined field trial (CFT) of pro-Vitamin A enriched GM cassava events submitted to the Nigerian Bio-safety Office (NBO).

13 October 2008
Dr. Shantha J.R. Pieris was appointed as the new Laboratory Operations Coordinator for the Sayre Lab, the ERAC Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, U.S.A., and the Administrator for BC Plus.

1 September 2008
Ms. Sally Mallowa was appointed as the new In-Country Product Development Manager (PDM) for Kenya.

1 September 2008
Dr. Chiedozie Egesi took office as the new In-Country Product Development Manager (PDM) for Nigeria.