Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica; and Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of IICA.
Panama City, 29 January 2026 (IICA) – The new Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Muhammad Ibrahim, took part in the International Economic Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean, organized by CAF, where he held meetings with senior authorities from Jamaica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama and other international organizations, seeking to scale up programs and projects aimed at underpinning agricultural development, the well-being of rural producers and food security in the region.
On his first international mission after taking office as IICA Director General on January 15, the Guyanese agronomist held dialogues and meetings with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness; the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Ecuador, Juan Carlos Vega; the Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama, Roberto Linares; and the Minister of Industry and Trade of Paraguay, Javier Giménez.
Juan Carlos Vega, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Ecuador; and Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of IICA.
“Risk management and disaster prevention in the Caribbean; the issue of food security in Haiti, a country where IICA is one of the few international organizations with a presence in rural areas; capacity building with a focus on rural youth and women; the creation of clusters of small producers to facilitate better access to quality seeds; and issues related to animal health, biofuels, and bio-inputs. These were the topics addressed in the conversations with ministers to strengthen agendas between IICA and the countries”, Ibrahim commented after the meetings.
The Director General of IICA was also among the guests at a meeting led by the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, together with several of his ministers, at which opportunities for investment and trade, as well as actions to strengthen agriculture and food security in the Andean country, were discussed.
Jorge Werthein, Special Advisor to the IICA Directorate General; Miguel Arvelo, Representative of the IICA Office in Panama; Roberto Linares, Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama; and Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of IICA.
Prior to his participation in the CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean Forum, Ibrahim met with national directors of Panama’s Ministry of Agricultural Development, representatives of the country’s agricultural institutions and leaders of the main sectoral associations, with whom he addressed key issues such as the development of ethanol production, the strengthening of livestock farming and innovative projects in the forestry and rice production sectors.
The visit by IICA’s Director General to Panama took place at a time when the Institute’s work plan is under review and adjustment, making it possible to gather direct inputs from the technical areas of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) to guide future cooperation in a strategic manner aligned with national priorities.
Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of OLADE; and Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of IICA.
“The need was raised to transform the traditional agricultural extension model, moving away from conventional schemes and advancing toward a more modern, hybrid and technology-supported model, incorporating the use of drones, satellite monitoring and digital tools, for the benefit of the competitiveness of Panamanian producers”, Ibrahim noted.
The Director General of IICA also held talks with Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), with whom he agreed to strengthen collaboration in promoting biofuels, and with René Orellana, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of IICA (far right), held discussions with the Minister of Industry and Trade of Paraguay, Javier Giménez (far left).
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
