The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) appointed Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma as its interim Executive Director. The announcement was made by ASARECA’s Board of Directors through an official statement on the organisation’s X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Esteemed stakeholders, join us in welcoming Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma, the newly appointed Interim Executive Director of ASARECA,” the statement read. Dr. Baguma, the Director of Bulindi ZARDI, will serve in this capacity for a period of three months. This appointment, which took effect on October 7th, 2024, comes in the wake of the departure of Dr. Enoch Warinda, the former Executive Director of ASARECA. ASARECA, headquartered in Entebbe, is an inter-governmental organisation representing 15 member states across eastern and central Africa (ECA).
The organisation works closely with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in its member countries to develop and implement agricultural research-for-development programmes aimed at addressing the region’s most pressing agricultural challenges. Dr. Baguma brings extensive experience to this role. He holds several key roles at NARO, including Acting Chairperson of the Intellectual Property Management Committee and a member of NARO’s Governing Council Science Committee.
With a strong background in knowledge management, strategic planning, and monitoring and evaluation, Dr. Baguma’s leadership during this transitional period is expected to strengthen ASARECA’s ability to achieve its vision of transforming agriculture for improved livelihoods, economic growth, and inclusive development across ECA. In a visit to Bulindi ZARDI on October 4th, 2024,
Dr. Sadik Kassim, Deputy Director General of NARO for Agricultural Technology Promotion, congratulated Dr. Baguma on his new appointment and wished him success in his new role. During this visit, Dr. Kassim also introduced Dr. Mwesigwa Moses, a prominent research scientist from the National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI), to the Bulindi ZARDI staff as their team leader, urging them to offer him full cooperation and support.