Akiça Bahri

Akiça Bahri’s career spans over four decades, characterized by high-level political leadership, influential international roles, and pioneering research in water resources management. An agricultural engineer by training, Dr. Bahri has dedicated her career to addressing the critical intersection of water scarcity, environmental sustainability, and agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Her work has been fundamental in bridging the gap between scientific research and practical policy implementation, ensuring that technical innovations lead to tangible improvements in water security.

Dr. Bahri’s academic record includes an Agricultural Engineering degree (1977) and a Doctor-Engineer degree (1982) from institutions in Toulouse, France. She later earned a Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from Lund University, Sweden, in 1995. Her core expertise lies in water resources management, the use of marginal waters (brackish and reclaimed) for irrigation, the agricultural application of biosolids (sewage sludge), and the long-term environmental and public health impacts of these practices.

In recent years, Dr. Bahri has served at various levels of the Tunisian government. She held the position of Secretary of State in charge of Water Resources (March–September 2020) and subsequently served as the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries from September 2020 to February 2021. Following her ministerial term, she acted as an Advisor to the Chief of Government until May 2022.

Dr. Bahri has held prominent leadership positions in international organizations such as Coordinator of the African Water Facility (AWF), African Development Bank (2010–2015); and at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (2005–2010), serving as the Director for Africa.

Earlier in her career (1978–2005), Dr. Bahri rose through the ranks at the National Research Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Water and Forestry (INRGREF) in Tunisia to become Director of Research.

Her contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the TWAS Medal for scientific achievements (2024), the IWA Women in Water Award (2018), the TWAS-Prof. C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research (2009), the Kuwait Prize in Waste Recycling (1996), the International Foundation for Science/King Baudouin Award (1993), and the Guinness Foundation Grand Prize of Scientific Merit for Development (1984). She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California at Davis from January to June 2005.

She is a Fellow or member of several esteemed academies, including the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts (Beit El Hikma), the African Academy of Sciences, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Furthermore, she currently serves on the Board of Governors for the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, and the United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). She also frequently serves as a member of international award juries and scientific committees, such as the IWA Global Water Award and Pre-Selection Committee for the Nobel Sustainability Trust Awards.

Dr. Bahri has published extensively on integrated urban water management and the "circular economy" of water. Her works include editing books like Sanitation for All: A Women’s Perspective (2004), Milestones in Water Reuse (2013), Wastewater Irrigation and Health (2010), and Water Reuse for Irrigation: Agriculture, Landscapes, and Turf Grass (2005), alongside numerous journal articles exploring the spatial variability of soil chemicals and the socio-economic effects of water scarcity in Africa.