IFDC presented three staff members with awards for their outstanding work on September 19, 2017, following the organization’s 43rd Annual Board of Directors’ Meeting. Please join us in congratulating this year’s winners of the IFDC staff awards. The commitment, dedication, and talent of these three individuals is an inspiration to us all, and we thank them for their outstanding service.
Aziz Boly
Chairman’s Outstanding Internationally Posted Staff Member
Aziz Boly joined IFDC in 2010 as a national administration and finance officer in IFDC’s Burkina Faso office. He later served in the Nigeria office as chief administration and finance officer and traveled extensively to all offices in the West Africa region to oversee day-to-day administrative and financial operations. Aziz became an internationally posted staff member in October 2014 and is currently serving as deputy director of operations for IFDC’s Global Field Programs.
Aziz holds a master’s degree in finance and accounting. Highlights of his IFDC duties include accounting, budgeting, banking, setting up offices, financial oversight, and assisting with proposals. Aziz accomplishes all tasks set before him and is able to meet multiple deadlines simultaneously. Aziz travels to multiple locations in West Africa to assist others in the performance of their duties and ensure that IFDC offices are performing efficiently and effectively.
Regardless of the situation, Aziz always has a positive outlook and is genuinely happy. He is always available to lend assistance to other employees. He never backs down from a challenge and is ready to work hard to do the job correctly the first time. He is a natural leader who always treats others with great respect and professionalism. He understands that you must be willing to fail on occasion in order to learn from these mistakes and become successful.
Aziz truly wants to make a difference at IFDC. He has worked extremely hard to learn all that he can and has been willing to share his knowledge and experience with others. He is available long after others have retired for the evening. Aziz wholeheartedly supports IFDC’s mission. He is constantly striving to improve IFDC and drive us into the future, and he works tirelessly toward this goal. He is an inspiration to his colleagues and most deserving of this award.
Luisa De Faría
President’s Outstanding Headquarters Staff Member
Luisa De Faría joined IFDC in 1999 and currently serves as a senior engineer in the IFDC pilot plant. She holds a degree in chemical engineering and is also a specialist in petrochemical processes engineering. She has extensive technical knowledge about fertilizer research and development and the fertilizer industry. While working for IFDC, Luisa has been involved in designing commercial fertilizer plants, providing on-site technical assistance and assessments, and supporting pilot plant test work for various organizations and private companies throughout the world. Luisa has also been instrumental in organizing, conducting, and serving as an instructor for IFDC’s international training programs on fertilizer technology and production.
Luisa has extensive technical knowledge on a wide range of fertilizer production methods and engineering disciplines and is able to handle unexpected issues encountered during fertilizer production. She works above and beyond her job responsibility to ensure successful pilot plant projects and maintains a high degree of client satisfaction because of her work ethic. She is always willing to share her technical knowledge with her colleagues, validate calculations, discuss ideas, and support various requests from clients.
Luisa is constantly searching for avenues to attract new clients to IFDC, and strives to satisfy clients so they will continue to return to IFDC for future projects. She always ensures her work is of high quality, completed on time, and achieves the expectations of IFDC’s clients. She is willing to perform any kind of job that will benefit IFDC’s goals and objectives. She always has IFDC’s mandate in mind and strives to further IFDC’s reputation in the fertilizer industry.
Mohammed Zailani
President’s Outstanding Local Staff Member
Mohammed Zailani holds a master’s degree in animal production and health and has more than 25 years of experience in dairy development activities in Nigeria. He joined IFDC in 2012 during the very first days of the 2SCALE program. The dairy partnership that Mohammed facilitates in Nigeria is one of the most visible and cited partnerships of 2SCALE’s portfolio. It was the first 2SCALE partnership developed with a private Dutch company, it is aligned with the agenda of the Nigerian government that aims at developing a local dairy sector, it transformed the inclusion of the nomadic Fulanis, who were previously excluded from structured economic channels, and it laid the foundation for the new Dairy 4 Growth program.
Mohammed is a loyal, professional, and trustworthy partnership facilitator, performing his duties under complex circumstances. He was able to handle, on one side, the demanding expectations of the donor and, on the other side, the resistance and hesitation of the partners. He was able to mitigate these tensions and challenges to progressively build trust with the local communities and connect them to the local service providers. In addition to his technical expertise, his ability to strengthen trust and make connections allowed him to attract the respect of all stakeholders in the value chain. Mohammed remains loyal to IFDC, despite several opportunities from other dairy companies and programs. He believes strongly in inclusion and empowerment of the grassroots actors in agricultural value chains. His work has not only positively impacted 2SCALE’s performance but also IFDC’s ability to build agribusiness partnerships in many value chains and industries.