AfricaRice Mourns the Passing of Dr. Eugene Robert Terry, Founding Director General of the WARDA
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The Executive Managing Director of the CGIAR, the Council of Ministers, Board, Management and Staff of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) announce with deep sorrow the passing of Dr. Eugene Terry, the first Director General of WARDA, now AfricaRice. Dr. Terry passed away in Washington, D.C., USA, on Tuesday, 7 April 2026.
Dr Terry served as the inaugural Director General of WARDA/AfricaRice from 1987 to 1996, guiding the institution through its formative years, establishing a legacy of scientific excellence and regional cooperation that continues to shape Africa’s agricultural transformation. He was an outstanding leader whose pioneering work laid the foundation for WARDA/AfricaRice’s continental mandate in rice research and development.
Beyond WARDA/AfricaRice, Dr. Terry’s distinguished career spanned leadership roles in several international institutions. He served as Plant Pathologist and subsequently Director of International Programs and Training at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, Ibadan), Land and Crops Advisor in the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of The World Bank, Founding Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Nairobi, and Senior Technical Adviser at TransFarm Africa, in Washington DC.
Born in Sierra Leone, Dr. Terry earned a BSc in Agriculture, an MSc in Plant Pathology from McGill University, Canada, and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA. He served as Trustee on the boards of several international organizations, including the World Vegetable Centre (WorldVeg, Taiwan), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF, Nairobi), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI, Sri Lanka) and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Development (SFSA, Switzerland). He also chaired the Advisory Board of the West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI, University of Ghana) and the BecA-ILRI Hub Advisory Panel (Nairobi).
Dr. Terry’s contributions to agricultural research and innovation have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Presidential Award of the Republic of Mali (2010) for Outstanding Contributions to Rice Research and Development in Africa, the Medal Officier de L’Ordre du Mérite Ivoirien (1993), and the McGill University Macdonald Distinguished Alumni Award (2012).
AfricaRice and the entire CGIAR family pay tribute to Dr. Terry’s extraordinary vision, leadership, and lifelong dedication to advancing agricultural science and technology in Africa. His legacy will endure in the generations of scientists, institutions, and farmers whose lives have been enriched by his work.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Terry’s family, colleagues, and the global agricultural research community. May his memory continue to inspire us in our mission to achieve continental food security, alleviate poverty and increase prosperity through agricultural transformation.