Prof Alidu M. Sanatu is an Associate Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics at the Crop Science Department of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala.
She has been the Director for UDS Directorate of International Relations and Advancement (DIRA) from 1st September 2026 up to now.
Born and bred in Northern Ghana, she obtained her primary education, secondary education, and the first face of her tertiary education in Tamale, Northern Ghana. She obtained her PhD in Plant Breeding at the West African Center for Crop Improvement, University of Ghana Legon- Accra, an MSc. in plant Breeding from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, BSc. degree in Agricultural Technology and majored in Agronomy option and an HND in Agricultural Engineering, with a major in soil and water option. She also holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Education from UDS and Post-graduate Diploma in Agribusiness from the London School of Economics.
Until she became a faculty member at UDS in 2011, she taught for 11 years at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Tamale Technical University. Apart from being a Director, her main career assignment in the University is teaching, research, community outreach and activities related to research in Plant Breeding.
Having worked with UDS for 15 years, she has served several roles and responsibilities:
Prof Alidu has over 40 publications, 2 books and 7 book chapters in peer reviewed journals and Publishers. In November 2025, she led a team of research scientists and academics to develop and release six droughts tolerant and climate smart cowpea varieties in UDS after 30 years of the University’s establishment.
She has supervised and graduated 28 postgraduate students for both PhD and MPhil students and over 70 undergraduate students.
She has also been and external and internal examiner for UDS and other Universities both in and outside Ghana.
She has assessed and served as a member of several promotions for other Universities and research institutions in Ghana, including University of Ghana, Crop research Institute, Cocoa research institute, Savanna Agricultural research Institute, Tamale Technical University among others.
Grants and Scholarships
Prof. Alidu received scholarships from the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) for her PhD (2014–2017) and MSc (2008–2010) in Plant Breeding. In 2022–2023, she was sponsored by UC Davis to participate in the African Plant Breeders Academy (Class V) at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also a collaborating scientist on the TERRA Project - a five-year (2025 - 2028) collaboration between UDS, SARI, and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), focused on cowpea-maize relay/intercropping systems to support sustainable upland farming in Africa.
Impact and Mentorship
She has been actively involved in impactful, collaborative grants aimed at improving the livelihoods of women and youth in agriculture. Prof. Alidu has mentored young girls in leadership capacity building within the university, private organizations, and secondary institutions in Northern Ghana.
Professional Memberships
She is a member of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), African Plant Breeders Academy (AfPBA), Ghana Institute of Horticulturists (GhIHS), Ghana Science Association (GAS), National Seed Traders Association of Ghana (NASTAG), African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), and Seed Producers Association of Ghana (SeedPAG).
Partnerships and Recognition
Prof. Alidu has partnered with organizations such as MEDA GROW Two, Yara Ghana, USAID MFA, USAID-MSR, IDH-WISE, and the MAMA Soya Program to train and support smallholder farmers—especially women, youth, and persons with disabilities—in improving yields and food security in Northern Ghana. In December 2025, she was adjudged the Regional Best Female Farmer for the Northern Region.
She is the founding CEO of DINMBONE Farms Gate - The company is into seed production, and sale, fertilizer distribution and retail, and crop protection services, as well as providing our valued partners with technical support and training in best farming practices, safe handling and use of agrochemicals. https://dinmbonefarmgates.com
Scholarly website:
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sanatu_Alidu_Mustapha
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9850-8993
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/sanatu.alidu?_rdc=3&_rdr#
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanatu-alidu-0b6599217/
Yotube: https://www.youtube.com/@sanatualidu1160
Other useful links to for impactful research and services to Ghana:
https://gs.uds.edu.gh/news/uds-achieves-historic-breakthrough-as-six-cowpea-varieties-secure-conditional-national-approval
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Meet-Professor-Sanatu-Alidu-the-lecturer-named-2025-Best-Female-Farmer-in-the-Northern-Region-2013449
https://wacci.ug.edu.gh/news/wacci-alumna-leads-development-six-cowpea-varieties
https://www.meda.org/news/success-stories/breaking-barriers-northern-ghanas-first-woman-led-seed-producer-reshapes-roles-in-agribusiness/
https://nastag.org/index.php/membership/members-brief-profile/10-organisation-info
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-uds-releases-new-drought-tolerant-cowpea-varieties.html
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