New director general is appointed at ICBA

In line with the provisions of the articles of association of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dr. Tarifa Ajeif Alzaabi has been appointed as the Center’s new Director General, becoming the first Emirati to hold the position since ICBA’s foundation in 1999.

Dr. Tarifa Ajeif Alzaabi joined the Center in August 2019 as Deputy Director General and has served as Acting Director General since November 2020.

A graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program (Executive Leadership), she has delivered executive training and development programs for government officials in various countries as part of the UAE Government’s initiatives to transfer knowledge and develop executive government capacities. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from the British University in Dubai and an Executive MBA from the University of Sharjah. She has 25 years of experience in executive leadership and management, strategy development, innovation support, research, and national and international capacity development.

The agreement to establish ICBA was signed between the UAE Government and the Islamic Development Bank in 1996. The Center has the status of an official international organization. The Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development also provided financial support for the establishment of ICBA. The Center started its operation in Dubai in 1999.

ICBA has become a global center of excellence focusing on developing tailored solutions for marginal environments facing the problems of salinity, water scarcity and drought. The Center has partners in more than 50 countries, which has allowed it to draw on a wide variety of expertise to achieve a greater impact on the ground. The Center has also conducted research and development activities and projects in about 40 countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, the South Caucasus and sub-Saharan Africa.

The Center was recently honored by the visit of the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan - may God protect him. During the visit, which was part of His Highness’s field tours of different emirates, His Highness praised the Center’s activities and achievements in the field of local and international agricultural scientific research.