SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Guyanese agronomist Muhammad Ibrahim was formally inaugurated Thursday as director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), becoming the first Guyanese to lead the hemispheric agricultural body.
The inauguration ceremony was held at IICA’s headquarters in San José and was attended by senior government officials and agricultural leaders from more than 30 countries across the Americas and beyond.
Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, attended the ceremony and joined Costa Rica’s Vice President Mary Munive Angermüller, Foreign Affairs Minister Arnoldo Tinoco and Deputy Minister Alejandro Solano, Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Cleber Soares, and other regional representatives as outgoing Director General Manuel Otero formally handed over leadership of the institute.
Mustapha, who also serves as chair of the Caribbean Community’s Ministerial Task Force on Agriculture, congratulated Ibrahim on his appointment, describing it as a milestone for Guyana and the wider Caribbean. He said Ibrahim’s elevation reflected both his professional record and the growing contribution of Caribbean expertise to global agricultural development.
“This achievement speaks to the tremendous potential that exists in our region and the value of investing in agricultural knowledge and innovation,” Mustapha said.
In his inaugural address, Ibrahim pledged to strengthen cooperation among member states and to advance more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems across the hemisphere. He said his leadership would recognize the diversity of agricultural challenges facing different regions of the Americas.
“I am going to be a director general for all the Americas, recognizing that we need differentiated strategies for each region of the hemisphere,” Ibrahim said.
From Georgetown, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali delivered remarks via video message, underscoring IICA’s role in supporting agricultural value-added, food security and rural development across the region. He also congratulated Ibrahim on assuming the post, describing the appointment as a source of national pride for Guyana.
IICA is a specialized agency of the inter-American system that works with governments, the private sector and international partners to promote agricultural development, food security and rural prosperity throughout the Americas. Ibrahim succeeds Argentine agronomist Manuel Otero, who completed his term after leading the institute since 2017.