Sali Atanga Ndindeng | Food Quality | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Sali Atanga Ndindeng | Food Quality | Best Researcher Award

Africa Rice Center | Ivory Coast

Dr. Sali Atanga Ndindeng is a distinguished Grain Quality and Post-Harvest Scientist and Program Leader of the Rice Sector Development Program at the Africa Rice Center, where he also serves as Principal Scientist in Grain Quality and Post-Harvest Technology, Co-Lead for Scaling for Impact, and Interim One CGIAR Country Convenor for Côte d’Ivoire. With a PhD in Agriculture from Hokkaido University, Japan, and extensive experience in biochemistry and agricultural sciences, he has dedicated his career to developing, testing, and scaling innovations in rice post-harvest management and grain quality enhancement. He collaborates closely with breeders under the Global One Rice Program, National Agricultural Research Institutes across Africa, and development partners to advance varietal screening, parboiling technologies, fortified rice products, and low glycemic rice-based foods. He has successfully established multi-stakeholder rice platforms in numerous African countries and led the creation of Healthy Diets Living Laboratories to promote nutritious food systems. His work encompasses designing climate-smart rice value chains, coordinating major donor-funded projects, and fostering public-private partnerships to strengthen research, policy, and market linkages. Ndindeng has developed a range of innovations, including improved artisanal parboiling technologies, rice husk stoves, multipurpose grinders, fortified rice recipes, and methodologies for assessing post-harvest losses. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, demonstrating the impact of his research on agricultural productivity, nutrition, and sustainable development, with 603 citations by 514 documents across 40 publications and an h-index of 14. Fluent in English and French, he also mentors emerging scientists and guides the next generation of rice sector innovators across Africa, reflecting his commitment to advancing agricultural science and improving livelihoods on the continent.

Featured Publications

Wanji, S., Tanke, T., Atanga, S. N., Ajonina, C., Nicholas, T., & Fontenille, D. (2003). Anopheles species of the mount Cameroon region: Biting habits, feeding behaviour and entomological inoculation rates. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 8(7), 643-649.

Ndindeng, S. A., Mbassi, J. E. G., Mbacham, W. F., Manful, J., Graham-Acquaah, S., … (2015). Quality optimization in briquettes made from rice milling by-products. Energy for Sustainable Development, 29, 24-31.

Wanji, S., Tendongfor, N., Esum, M., Ndindeng, S., & Enyong, P. (2003). Epidemiology of concomitant infections due to Loa loa, Mansonella perstans, and Onchocerca volvulus in rain forest villages of Cameroon. Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 192(1), 15-21.

Ndindeng, S. A., Manful, J., Futakuchi, K., Mapiemfu-Lamare, D., Akoa-Etoa, J. M., … (2015). Upgrading the quality of Africa’s rice: A novel artisanal parboiling technology for rice processors in sub-Saharan Africa. Food Science & Nutrition, 3(6), 557-568.

Zohoun, E. V., Tang, E. N., Soumanou, M. M., Manful, J., Akissoe, N. H., Bigoga, J., … (2018). Physicochemical and nutritional properties of rice as affected by parboiling steaming time at atmospheric pressure and variety. Food Science & Nutrition, 6(3), 638-652.