AfricaRice Audio Podcasts

AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley making concluding remarks

AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley making concluding remarks, AfricaRice Science Week 2017, M'bé, Côte d'Ivoire - 6-10 Feb 2017, AfricaRice Corporate Services and research meeting  – Part 3.

AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley speaking

Closing remarks for AfricaRice and Partners science meeting by AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley, AfricaRice Science Week 2017, M'bé, Côte d'Ivoire - 6-10 Feb 2017.

Harold Roy-Macauley, AfricaRice Director General, made a presentation on “CGIAR impact in sub-Saharan Africa” at TICAD VI - Side Event organized by the World Bank

Harold Roy-Macauley, AfricaRice Director General, made a presentation on “CGIAR impact in sub-Saharan Africa.”  at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) Side Event organized by the World Bank on the “Future of Food in sub-Saharan Africa: Reviewing progress, charting next steps” held in Nairobi, Kenya, 26 August 2016.

AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley's comments and feedback on 1st session (The mechanism and progress of the CARD initiative)

Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) Side Event organized by the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) on the “Progress of CARD and the future of rice sector development in Africa” held in Nairobi, Kenya, 25 August 2016.

The meeting was organized to present and review general achievements of CARD and country-level achievements in the rice sector development in a few countries as well as discuss future direction for rice sector development in Africa. The CARD initiative was launched by JICA, in partnership with AGRA, in May 2008. CARD supports the efforts of African countries to increase rice production.

Comments and feedback on the presentations were provided by distinguished participants:

1st session: The mechanism and progress of the CARD initiative

• AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley

Welcome remarks by AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley at the National Experts Committee (NEC) Meeting

Welcome remarks by AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley at the National Experts Committee (NEC) Meeting held on 22 August 2016 as part of 30th Ordinary Session of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers, Kampala, Uganda

AfricaRice calls for vigilance over poor quality imported rice into African countries

Statement by AfricaRice Director General Dr HaroldRoy-Macauley on the urgent need for vigilance over poor quality imported riceinto African countries.

http://tinyurl.com/zj9n9g5 

Podcast credit : R.Raman, AfricaRice 

AfricaRice’s new DG takes office, outlines strategic priorities

Describing the 2011-2020 strategic plan of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) to boost the rice sector in Africa as “evidenced-based and therefore very solid and powerful,” the new Director General of AfricaRice Dr Harold Roy-Macauley urged AfricaRice staff “to be adventurous and ingenious in the way we roll out our rice science.”

He stated that although AfricaRice’s mandate covers the rice sector in Africa, it is global in its approach, because of the growing importance and opportunities of the African rice sector in the global rice market. “Rice is global and it is big business,” said Dr Roy-Macauley. “It is the white gold of the future. We at AfricaRice should consider ourselves fortunate to be in big business already.”

Dr Roy-Macauley made these remarks in his first speech to the AfricaRice staff during the handover ceremony on 12 March 2015 at AfricaRice temporary headquarters in Cotonou, Benin, in which the Interim Director General Dr Adama Traoré handed over office to him.

Dr Roy-Macauley, a Sierra Leonean national, was appointed as the new Director General of AfricaRice at an Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of AfricaRice held on 6 February 2015, in Kampala, Uganda.

After thanking Dr Traoré for ably steering the Center during the interim period, Dr Roy-Macauley outlined his first priorities that include the following:

•                 Rendering partnerships more efficient around rice science and sector development

•                 Strengthening capacity for rice science and sector development

•                 Improving access of small-holders rice producers to markets

•                 Reintegrating rice science in the policy agenda of countries

•                 Increasing investments in rice science and sector development           

To realize his vision for AfricaRice, he highlighted the need for AfricaRice Management and staff to focus on the implementation of four main pillars: 

1.     “Consolidation, which implies consolidating existing scientific and development activities to respond directly to the weaknesses observed in the rice value chain with special focus on integrating functional Innovation platforms (IPs) in rice value chain in the rice hubs and striking a better balance between varietal development and dissemination and agronomy.

2.     Efficiency/Efficacy, which implies improving the following key systems – monitoring, evaluation and learning; data and information collection and analysis; knowledge management; information and communication; cooperate services and quality delivery; and governance policies, leading to increased credibility of AfricaRice, the interest of development partners including the private sector and their investments and the sustainable funding of AfricaRice’s activities.

3.     Punctuality, which implies anticipating consequences (proactivity and rapidity), having great consideration of our clients, inspiring confidence in staff, and being polite, which will lead to improved client relationship and the reputation of AfricaRice Management.

4.     Excellence, which implies being very progressive, having a sense of responsibility and a spirit of openness, and recognizing diversity, merits and talents, which will lead to improved work environment.”

Listen to AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley’s maiden address.