CARICOM leaders have thrown their full support behind Guyanese agronomist Muhammad Ibrahim for the role of Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The endorsement came during the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica, chaired by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Ibrahim, nominated by Guyana, brings more than three decades of experience in agricultural innovation and sustainable development. His candidacy is strongly supported by President Irfaan Ali, who leads the CARICOM Food and Nutrition Security Cabinet.

In their final communiqué, regional leaders described Ibrahim as “eminently qualified” and urged other countries in the hemisphere to back his bid.

The next Director General of IICA will be elected at a meeting of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) in Brasilia this November. IICA, founded in 1942, is part of the Inter-American System and includes 34 member states across the Americas.