News

CORAF is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kalifa Traoré, Director of the Institut d'Économie Rurale (IER) in Mali, as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at the 14th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly held in Cotonou in April 2024.

Dr. Traoré is a renowned scientist with extensive experience in soil science, tropical agronomy and applied agriculture. He holds a PhD in soil science from the École nationale supérieure agronomique de Montpellier (France). In a career spanning more than three decades, Dr. Traoré began as a research assistant in the agro-physiology and agronomy program of the joint ICRISAT/CIRAD project.

Since 1996, he has worked at Mali's Institut d'Économie Rurale (IER), where he has held key positions such as Research Director, Head of the Production Systems and Natural Resource Management program and, more recently, Scientific Director. Under his leadership, the IER has carried out large-scale projects, notably on the adaptation of agriculture and livestock to climate change, and has strengthened its collaborations with several international organizations.

As General Manager of IER, Dr. Traoré makes a major contribution to the search for new partnerships and to scientific production, with numerous publications and technical notes to his credit. His election as President of CORAF bears witness to his unwavering commitment to the advancement of research and development in West and Central Africa.

We wish Dr. Kalifa Traoré every success in this new responsibility, with the assurance that he will continue to advance CORAF's objectives for the region's agricultural development.