Ismahane El Ouafi is the General Director of ICBA (International Center for Biosaline Agriculture) which is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999. ICBA has evolved over the years into a world-class modern research facility with a team of international scientists conducting applied research and development to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability in marginal and saline environments.
Before that, she was the Senior Science Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada until 2007. She then became the National Manager for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency where she led the Plant Research Section and coordinated the organization’s plant protection research activities. Ismahane has more than 15 years of experience in the field of agricultural research and developed an impressive network.
It’s actually Dr. Ismahane El Ouafi, she has a PhD. in Genetics from the University of Cordoba (Spain).
She was ranked among the 20 most influential female figures in the Muslim world. Indeed, she sees herself as a powerful and successful woman in the industry, she says: “I have been recognized as a catalyst for new ideas and revolutionary strategies to deal with some of the world’s most pressing environmental and human challenges and am a recipient of the National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco (2014), and the Excellence in Science award from the Global Thinkers Forum (2014).”
