New Director General for ICIPE

By Henry Neondo

As out-going Director to Head Washington DC-Based Institute
The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) now has a new Director General.
Prof Christian Borgemeister, up to now a full-time professor at Hannover University, Germany becomes the third Director-General taking over from Dr Hans Herren who, after 10 years at ICIPE becomes the President elect of the Washington DC-based Millennium Institute.
Dr Herren succeeded ICIPE's founding father Prof Thomas R Odhiambo. Prof Borgemeister will assume the directorship from June 2005.
Announcing the appointment, ICIPE Governing Council Chairman, Professor Peter Esbjerg said: "We are confident that Prof Borgemeister's professional interests, which include biological control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in tropical environments, biodiversity conservation and international cooperation, will build on the foundation laid by his two predecessors."
Prof Borgemeister's career highlights include a seven-year tenure at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Benin, West Africa.
He has researched widely on maize pests, including stemborers and the larger grain borer and their natural enemies.
Prof Borgemeister has also helped develop technologies for market-oriented small-scale vegetable production systems aimed at increasing productivity and profitability while sustaining the environment.
At the same time, Professor Esbjerg hailed Dr Herren as a world-renowned scientist, whose work in improving the livelihood of the poor in the tropics has earned him several awards, among which are the prestigious World Food Prize in 1995; the Kilby Award (1995) for extraordinary contribution to society through science, technology, innovation, invention and education; the Brandenberger Prize in 2002, for contributions to food security and environmental protection in Africa; and the Tyler Prize in 2003, for outstanding contribution to environmental health.
His legacy at ICIPE includes establishment of major Research and Development (R&D) divisions in environmental and biodiversity conservation, commercial insects for rural enterprises, and horticultural crops development. He also formulated the 4Hs concept that integrates R&D in the areas of human, animal, plant and environmental health.
Dr Herren is also the President of the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences since 1999, and of BioVision, a private foundation he created to promote the implementation of sustainable and holistic science-led development projects in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The Millennium Institute he will now head has the vision of a sustainable and more peaceful and equitable future for Earth by developing and providing advanced analytical tools for national and global development. The Institute also formulates values-related questions and analysis of the consequences of alternative development strategies.
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