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After being at the helm of the Tobacco Research Board (TRB) for eight years, Dr Dahlia Garwe, is leaving the research institution to pursue other interests. Even though women are statistically still a minority in the leadership and management of most research institutions, things are changing. In this report, Sifelani Tsiko (ST), Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor speaks to Dr Garwe (DG) who shares her experience and useful insights about her professional career in the research and tobacco industry.

ST: You served the TRB for more than eight years. Tell us your brief history and the roles you played at TRB.

DG: Actually, I have been with TRB for 31 years! I joined in 1991 as a research officer and as they say in the best of these profiles “rose through the ranks” to my current position! I started working as a research officer in the Analytical Chemistry Department in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become a divisional co-ordinator in 2003 and assistant general manager — Research & Extension in 2009. In 2012, I was appointed acting general manager and in 2014 was appointed as chief executive officer. So briefly, this was my professional journey at the TRB.

ST: How did you feel to be appointed as the first female CEO of the TRB in 2014?

DG: It was an amazing achievement especially since I did not even expect to ever reach that pole post as there was already a young, male and energetic GM in that position. He left unexpectedly and following a selection process during which I was pitted against six men, I was pleased that, as a woman, my potential was being recognised.

ST: What are some of the major successes you believe you made over the past eight years at the TRB? Also tell us about the commercial tissue culture facility and how you transformed it.

DG: I am proud of the achievements I and my team made at the TRB. During my tenure, there were numerous successes we made. As I leave, I am happy that the TRB has continued to record surpluses during my tenure despite the hostile economic environment. Various income-generating projects, including the seed potato project were implemented. TRB remained largely self-funding (70 percent of budget) and we envisaged to be 100 percent self-sustaining when all projects are optimised. We also got international recognition with our own TRB scientists contributing significantly at international tobacco conferences and congresses. Quite a number assumed leadership roles in various international tobacco research bodies. Expansion of markets for seed and other products such as Gromix into the regional space was also done. Pioneering of research into tobacco alternatives and alternates such as industrial hemp and chia. We also promoted alternative tobacco use including the extraction of edible oil from tobacco seed. The TRB released new tobacco varieties — eight were released including to other countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania. Capitalisation and enhancement of laboratory and institutional facilities was made including the improvement of soil-less seedling production system. I am glad to say that some of the products are now on the market. A new million-dollar tissue culture facility and other supporting greenhouses were also constructed. This facility will see the country successfully implement import substitution for various plant materials, especially Irish potato and bananas previously obtained from SA. Currently, we are supplying disease-free, high-yielding sweet potato seedlings for the Presidential Rural Horticultural Development Programme.

 ST: The Government has made some huge strides in promoting gender equality in leadership in most of its institutions. What can you say about this and your leadership role at the TRB?

DG: Our board has a woman vice chairperson and two other women. Our senior management consists of three executive directors who are all women. In the past, women were under-represented in all key positions but now I am happy that the TRB has transformed empowering women and opening doors for their entry, recruitment, retention and more importantly advancement in their research careers.

ST: Did you manage to promote gender – equitable leadership at the TRB? Can you tell us how you have transformed the gender composition of TRB over the last eight years.

DG: I strongly believe women can, when given the chance, and I had a deliberate policy to hire more deserving women. Middle management is made up of 46 percent females. Our seed production team is led by a woman and almost all, 95 percent, of the processing team are women. Even our tissue culture facility is led by a team of very sharp women with 67 percent women as staff. All this shows how the TRB has promoted women who were under-represented in this research institution in the past. I think we have managed to close the gender gap.

ST: What were some of the major challenges you faced at the TRB? Are you frustrated that you are leaving without tackling some of them?

DG: Reliability of power was a huge problem leading to increased costs of production due to diesel use and replacement and repair of equipment damaged by power surges. We had started putting in a dedicated ZESA power line and solar projects to tackle this. Hopefully, the new CEO will be able to complete the projects in a short time.

ST: The tobacco industry is a huge industry that rakes in millions of dollars for the country every year. What are your thoughts about the future of the industry in terms of research on tobacco and the threats facing the industry globally?

DG: Indeed, tobacco faces a huge threat from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). However, I don’t believe tobacco will be banned in our lifetime and Zim tobacco is of a quality sought after the world over. But in preparation, TRB has looked at alternative uses for tobacco, for example, the edible oil I spoke about earlier. Also, alternatives for tobacco such as industrial hemp are currently being researched on with interesting results already realized. Research on improved tobacco varieties continues and there are some exciting results coming out of our drought tolerant varieties research as well as enhanced disease resistance, for example the PVY, in the face of climate change.

ST: What do you think needs to be done to promote the adaptation and resilience of the Zimbabwean tobacco industry in the wake of the growing anti-smoking lobby and the restrictive trade laws imposed on the industry?

DG: The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture recently introduced the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan with objectives, inter alia, to optimise production and marketing finance, promotion of alternative crops and enhancement of value addition and beneficiation. I fully support these objectives and agree we need more markets for our tobacco but even more importantly, we must value-add in order to capture more of the international market and keep tobacco alive. The key is sustainable production that accounts for the environment and people.

ST: Why are you leaving the TRB? Can you share with us your future plans?

DG: If you have read the book Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson, I guess what I’m doing is moving my own cheese! According to the Public Corporate Governance Act, I must retire in the next two years as my 10 years in office will be up. In the interim, I received a really exciting offer from a local agricultural player which will allow me further growth. I decided to take it and am relishing the new challenge. I will miss TRB but I am ready to move on. 

ST: What is your message to young scientists about career growth, gender equity and women’s empowerment?

DG: Believe in yourself and your abilities. Go out there and learn and absorb as much as you can but come back afterwards and help build our great country. Being a woman should never be a hindrance. I have mentored a number of great young women in my time and wow! The potential is amazing.

ST: What are your hopes for the tobacco industry in future?

DG: Continued success and death to the scourge of side marketing. But more importantly, growers must be fairly rewarded for their hard work on the land.