The United Nations has appointed Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organisation and former Prime Minister of Togo, as the sixth President of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
According to the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Mr Farhan Haq, Houngbo is to replace Nigeria’s Dr. Kanayo Nwanze whose tenure as fifth president ends on March 31.
Houngbo, who was among eight candidates including three women who contested for the organisation’s top leadership position, will take office on April 1, 2017.
IFAD is a specialised UN agency dedicated to combating rural hunger and poverty in developing countries through low-interest loans and direct assistance.
Nwanze was appointed IFAD President in February 2009 and has served two terms, the allowed maximum limit to serve as president.
Of his many achievements, he would be remembered for the changes he has brought to IFAD’s operating model, ensuring that poor rural people are at the centre of IFAD’s work and that farming is seen as a business no matter how small scale, according to reports.
In his keen interest to bring IFAD closer to those the rural poor in developing countries, Nwanze has increased the number of IFAD offices in developing countries from nine to 40.
In September 2016, Nwanze was awarded the Africa Food Prize for his outstanding leadership and passionate advocacy in putting Africa’s smallholder farmers at the centre of the global agricultural agenda.
Over the course of his presidency, the value of IFAD’s ongoing investment portfolio increased from 3.4 billion U.S. dollars to 5.9 billion dollars, due in part to his vision of a more flexible financial model which has included sovereign borrowing and other mechanisms to leverage resources.
In his final address to the Governing Council, Nwanze said “IFAD’s success is the world’s success”, he said, and wished the new president, Houngbo, the best of luck.
The two-term IFAD chief described rural development as a “moral obligation”, making a final appeal to governments on behalf of poor rural people across the globe.
Appealing to development leaders and IFAD’s governors, Nwanze emphasized the need for continued rural investment in order for countries to meet their commitment to ending poverty and hunger by 2030, outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.
“For nations genuinely committed to the 2030 Agenda, investing in rural areas is not a choice; it is a necessity. When people face the prospect of dying in poverty and hunger, they migrate to cities and beyond.
“For them, no ocean is wide enough, no fence will ever rise high enough, no border will ever be impregnable enough to keep out desperate women, children and men,” he said.
Nwanze was elected president by delegates from IFAD’s 165-Member States in February 2009, and began his term as IFAD’s fifth President on April 1, 2009.
The IFAD chief has a strong record as an advocate and leader of change and a keen understanding of the complexity of development issues.
Nwanze served as IFAD’s Vice-President for two years before taking the organization’s helm.
During that time, he championed and led the implementation of key processes that have improved the quality of IFAD’s operations in developing countries.
“In the past two years, under the Presidency of Kanayo Nwanze, WFO managed to receive strong support from IFAD for our farmers’ especially in the climate related activities.
“Through his guidance WFO was also granted a seat in IFAD Farmers’ Forum,” according to the World Farmers Organization.
He has over 30 years of extensive experience devoted to improving the livelihoods of poor rural communities.
Prior to his assumption of duty at IFAD, he served as Director-General of the Africa Rice Center, a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) from 1996 to 2006, and held several senior positions at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics from 1979 to 1996.
(NAN)
