The Centre for Coordination of Agriculture Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is pleased to introduce the newly appointed Executive Director Dr Cliff Sibusiso Dlamini. The appointment by the Board of directors, which put Dr Dlamini at the helm of CCARDESA Secretariat, took effect on 1st May 2020. Dr Dlamini has an elaborate career path and holds a PhD in Forestry from the University of Stellenbosch. Besides his PhD, Dr Dlamini holds five other degrees in various disciplines and is currently pursuing his 7th degree (M.Sc. in Sustainable Development) with the University of London.
Dr Dlamini brings to CCARDESA unassailable worth of experience from the national, sub-regional and international level. Until his new appointment, Dr Dlamini was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Eswatini National Trust Commission where he guided the Trust in all areas and led the development of departmental strategic plans, the corporate strategic plan and the resource mobilization strategy.
Before this, he worked as Assistant Forestry Officer with the then Forestry Section in the Ministry of Agriculture in Eswatini where he developed the national forestry research programme. He also worked as Parks Manager with the then Parks Section in the Municipal Council of Mbabane (Eswatini) where he developed and implemented several programmes.
At an international level, he worked as Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Advisor at World Vision International, where he developed and implemented the livelihoods and food security strategies. Before spreading his wings in the multi-sectoral field, he worked as a Research Fellow in Agronomy with the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) where he developed and implemented the agronomy programme at Swaziland Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine and Indigenous Food Plants(SIRMIP). He also worked as a Manager of The Table Mountain Fund at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, leading an overall programme portfolio of 66 projects. He also worked as a Research Fellow leading the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management programme at the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) in Zambia where he spearheaded the new climate change and natural resources thematic area.
He is an affiliated researcher with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa with a trail of successful Master’s students who have graduated under his supervision. Previously, he was an affiliated researcher with the University of the Free State in South Africa where he produced similar results. Dr Dlamini has published peer-reviewed papers, books, and training manuals. He has also published a series of scientific papers in areas of sustainable agriculture, forest science, forestry, natural resources management and climate change, development finance, and environmental law at local, regional and international levels.
Please join CCARDESA and the Agricultural Research for Development fraternity in welcoming Dr Dlamini into the CCARDESA family.
