Heifer International has appointed Rufus Idris as its new Country Director for its Nigeria operations.
In a statement issued by the firm, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International Adesuwa Ifedi was quoted saying, “Rufus’s proven capacity as an administrator, mobiliser and excellent team player will serve him well in his new role as Country Director for Heifer Nigeria.
“His appointment will deepen Heifer’s interventions and support for Nigeria’s food systems resilience and sustainability agenda.
“I trust that he will provide the much-needed operational acumen required for Heifer International’s transformational journey in the years ahead.”
On his appointment, Idris said, “I am excited to join Heifer International as the Nigeria Country Director and to lead its innovative and inclusive in-country programmes to end hunger and poverty, leveraging the creativity of our young women and men, new technologies, and strong public-private partnerships to unlock Nigeria’s potential for food sufficiency and sustainable living income.”
According to the statement, Idris will provide the leadership and the strategic focus required to develop and leverage public-private partnerships, implementing market-driven programmes that address the systemic constraints and stimulating lasting market systems improvements for farmers to attain sustainable living incomes.
The statement added that Idris was a seasoned development specialist with cross-cultural experience spanning over 17 years, during which he developed and led innovative economic development programmes in Nigeria and the United States.
Before joining Heifer International, Idris served as Deputy Chief of Party for the USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity and a Programme Director for the UK Department for International Development.
Idris holds a Master of Science in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University, Executive Education in Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Non-profit Organisations from Harvard University, bachelor’s degree in biology from La Roche University, and a diploma in fisheries technology from Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos.
– Punch