Dr. William Rolleston, vice-president of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), and president of the Federated Farmers of New Zealand, has been appointed acting president of the WFO after the resignation of Dr. Evelyn Nguleka of Zambia. Dr Rolleston will serve the organisation in this position until the next WFO general assembly in Helsinki, Finland in 2017.

The WFO recently announced they had accepted Nguleka’s resignation from her position as president and commended her for the role she played in agriculture.

“The WFO is deeply thankful to Dr. Nguleka for her political leadership and her tireless efforts to ensure that the agricultural sector and the WFO are central to the relevant processes, and debates, occurring in the international community,” the organisation said in a statement.

Nguleka, who has served the WFO since April 2014, resigned on 22 September. She also resigned from the Zambian National Farmers Union (ZNFU). The Zambian Drug Enforcement Commission arrested Nguleka and the executive director of the ZNFU, Ndambo Ndumbo, on 19 September on charges of theft and money laundering.

The organisation said it was working to ensure a smooth transition though upcoming activities, events, policy and advocacy works in the agenda, and those which may arise, up to June 2017.