CARI Administration Welcomes New AfricaRice Country Representative, Dr. Moustapha Gaye
Suakoko, Bong County – The Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) officially welcomed Dr. Moustapha Gaye as the new AfricaRice Country Representative, succeeding Dr. Inoussa Akintayo, who served with distinction for several years. Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah, Director General, made the introduction during a special gathering with staff and partners.
Dr. Karnuah opened the session by expressing gratitude to Dr. Akintayo for his years of dedicated service, noting that his leadership left a lasting impact on AfricaRice’s operations in Liberia. He then introduced Dr. Gaye, highlighting his extensive international experience and proactive leadership style.
“Dr. Gaye brings with him a wealth of global expertise, having worked across multiple countries and led numerous projects. His engagement will significantly contribute to our shared vision of transforming CARI into a true Institute of Excellence,” Dr. Karnuah stated.
One of the first issues addressed under Dr. Gaye’s leadership was the persistent delay in salary disbursements for AfricaRice national staff, including security personnel and fee-based workers. Payments had often been delayed by up to two months, with July salaries arriving only at the end of August and August payments similarly postponed.
Upon being briefed, Dr. Gaye acted swiftly. Within a week, he ensured that funds were transferred, bringing relief to staff. As of now, September salaries have been paid,d and October disbursements are already in process. Dr. Karnuah commended this responsiveness, describing it as “commendable and reassuring.”
Following the formal welcome, staff members present introduced themselves to Dr. Gaye, stating their names, program affiliations, and roles. Management promised to share a comprehensive list of program heads, research officers, and assistants, including their academic qualifications.
Dr. Karnuah emphasized that while not all staff could attend due to work demands, Dr. Gaye would gradually meet the broader team. He encouraged employees to engage freely with the new representative, assuring them that his contact information would be shared for open dialogue and collaboration.
The Director General also addressed an error in the meeting document where IITA was mistakenly listed instead of AfricaRice, noting that the correction would be made. He then outlined priorities for strengthening collaboration between CARI and AfricaRice, including, enhancing programmatic collaboration, joint development of research proposals, and coordinated engagement with partners and donors.
Dr. Karnuah expressed concern over the limited response to his earlier request for research proposals from program heads and research officers. He stressed that proposal development is a core responsibility, essential for partnership engagement and resource mobilization.
The Director General affirmed a promising plantain-focused proposal from researchers. Issuing a final appeal, Dr. Karnuah directed each research officer to submit at least one proposal by the end of the week or early next week, warning that failure to comply would negatively affect performance evaluations. He encouraged multiple submissions where officers had diverse areas of interest, citing livestock research as an example.
The Director General praised Mr. Daniel Tokpah for identifying a call for proposals from the African Institution of Agricultural Research. A team including Dr. Quaqua Mulbah and Mr. Eric Pluato collaborated to submit a comprehensive proposal, which has already passed the first clearance stage.
“This is the kind of initiative we need to see more often. Let us rise to the occasion and demonstrate our capacity as researchers,” Dr. Karnuah urged.
Concluding the session, Dr. Gaye addressed the team. He noted that this was his third time in Liberia and expressed his commitment to supporting CARI and AfricaRice’s mission, though he admitted he does not typically stay long in one place.
“I have been in research, and I know research. I will do my best,” Dr. Gaye assured, referencing his past work with Aries in Senegal.
The gathering ended with a renewed sense of purpose and collaboration. With Dr. Gaye’s arrival, CARI and AfricaRice look forward to strengthening their partnership, addressing challenges with urgency, and advancing agricultural research for national development.
