Guyana’s IICA head candidate meets with Panamanian gov’t minister, urges regional strength, strategy

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Muhammad Ibrahim, Guyana’s candidate for the role of Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), emphasized recently on a visit to Panama the importance of “reinforcing the idea that agriculture is a builder of development and peace,” particularly amid the current global challenges.

While in the country’s capital, Panama City, Ibrahim met with Minister of Agricultural Development Roberto Linares, where he highlighted “IICA’s position as a strategic institution for building food and nutritional security and regional agriculture based in rural areas with access to technology and financing,” as reported by the Spanish news agency EFE.

A press release indicated that discussions between Ibrahim and Linares focused on Panama’s specific needs in sectors such as livestock, coffee, cocoa, and health. Ibrahim, an agricultural engineer by training, underscored that “Panama and IICA have a strategic alliance” which he intends to strengthen should he be appointed as the organization’s Director General.

The regional organization is responsible for collaborating with its 34 Member States on agricultural development and rural well-being.

Ibrahim has previously held various technical roles within IICA. His candidacy was endorsed by Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, who noted that his bid is both Caribbean and South American in nature, reflecting the bi-regional character of Guyana.

According to the press release, Ibrahim is an alumnus of the University of Guyana with a degree in agricultural engineering. He also holds a master’s in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, with a focus on Animal Nutrition, from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica. Additionally, he earned a doctorate in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, specializing in Livestock and Animal Nutrition, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

As a candidate for the IICA leadership position, Ibrahim has garnered backing from 14 Caribbean nations, including Dominica, along with countries in Central and South America. His campaign emphasizes “deepening the work of establishing partnerships, mobilizing financial resources, and making key contacts to ensure the success of these objectives in the Americas and its island nations.”

The successor to Argentine veterinarian Manuel Otero as IICA’s Director General for the 2026-2030 term will be chosen in an upcoming election scheduled for November during a meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas in Brazil.