Gene banks of Capsicum species are available throughout the world. The USDA has established a pepper gene bank from accessions collected worldwide. AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center has collections in
Bamako (Mali), Arusha (Tanzania), and in Shanhua (Taiwan). Gene bank collections available in West Africa also include that of the Nigerian National Horticultural Research Institute in Ibadan. The Brazilian Capsicum sp gene bank maintained at the “Universidade Estadual do
Norte Fluminense” is a good source of C. chinense and C. frutescens accessions. Private seed companies in Asia and North America have developed sets of pepper varieties and may provide small samples for testing. West African agro-dealers and seed companies offer adapted pepper varieties obtained from national and/or international research institutions and from private sector agricultural organizations located in the sub region and abroad. Activities conducted with West African collections include characterization of morphologic diversity and/or genetic diversity using molecular markers and field evaluations to identify gene sources for yield improvement (Adetula, 2006; Adetula and Olakojo, 2006).