Director General of ICBA and the President of IDB discuss mutual collaboration opportunities during their meeting in Jeddah

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), along with Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif, Deputy Director General of ICBA and Dr. Abdullah Alshankiti, Senior Soil Scientist at ICBA, have met on the 19th of January, in Jeddah, with H.E. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of Islamic Development Bank (IDB); Mr. Birama Boubacar Sidibe, Vice President Operations; Mr. Mohammad Jamal Al-Saati, ICBA BoD Member and Director of Country Department in IDB, and Mr. Demba Ba, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at IDB.

Dr. Elouafi briefed the IDB representatives of the latest activities of ICBA along with the current and planned researches, projects, and capacity building programs that the center is undergoing. The President of IDB expressed the continuous support of IDB for ICBA’s initiatives and has discussed various elements for enhancing the collaboration between the bank and ICBA.

IDB and ICBA have agreed to share expertise in both developing member states agricultural strategies as well as their implementation on the ground and to focus on innovation in agriculture and water management. 

IDB and ICBA have agreed to share expertise in both developing member states agricultural strategies as well as their implementation on the ground and to focus on innovation in agriculture and water management. 

“The meeting was very fruitful; and we had the opportunity to exchange ideas and identify new possibilities of cooperation with IDB through the various discussions with the representatives of different departments of the bank” said Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of ICBA.

As an immediate outcome to their meeting, both parties, IDB & ICBA, have agreed to join forces in the organization of the upcoming Expert Group Meeting (EGM) for the GDLA (Global Dry Lands Alliance) initiative of the Qatari Food Security Agency, which will be held in Jeddah, K.S.A. from 18-20 February 2013. Approximately 60 experts representing Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), United Nations’ Specialized Agencies, Dry Land Organizations, Private Sector and Academic and Research Institutions from developing and developed countries will be invited to participate in the meeting.