NEW: Tobacco Research Board appoints substantive CEO

The Sunday Mail

Online Reporter

President Mnangagwa has approved the appointment of Dr Frank Magama as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Tobacco Research Board (TRB) with effect from September 26, 2022.

TRB board chairperson Mr Stanley Mutepfa announced the appointment on Thursday.

“Dr Magama is a seasoned tobacco scientist, with 18 years of experience at the Tobacco Research Board,” he said in a statement.

Prior to his latest appointment, he was head of the plant breeding division and was mainly responsible for the development and commercialisation of elite tobacco cultivars for Zimbabwe, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and beyond.

He also provided consultancy and advisory services to tobacco-producing countries and companies.

Dr Magama graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture (Crop Science), an MSc in Plant Sciences and Biotechnology from the University of Leeds (England), and a PhD in Plant Molecular Genetics from the University of Dundee (Scotland).

The new CEO is tasked with ensuring that TRB continues to play its role in the Agricultural and Food Systems Transformation Strategy to fulfil objectives of National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).