H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan Former President Federal Republic of Nigeria has confirmed attendance as a Keynote Speaker for the 1st African Conference of Agricultural Technology (ACAT) which we will be hosting in Nairobi from October 30 to November 2, 2023.
A trained biologist and a proponent for agricultural technologies, he has firmly stood by his word that Africa needs technologies to improve agricultural productivity.
His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He began his political career in 1999 when he was first elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State and was decorated with the Best Performing Deputy Governor Award by the Institute of Public Administrators of Nigeria in 2002. He later became the Governor of Bayelsa State and subsequently became the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria before winning the Presidential elections on May 6, 2010.
As President he worked with other heads of states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve political crises and stabilize democracies in countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, and Togo. His commitment towards bringing peace and stability to Africa during his tenure gave the country more recognition in the United Nations Security Council.
Former President Jonathan made history by becoming the first Sub-Saharan African leader to be appointed to the International Advisory Board of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East.
Since leaving office in 2015, Dr. Jonathan has remained committed to promoting democracy, peace, and respect for the rule of law in Africa. He is the Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation- an organization founded to promote best practices in democracy and peace building in Africa. He is also the Convener of the West African Elders Forum, a peacebuilding and mediation platform comprising of former presidents and eminent leaders from the region to address election-related violence and other socio-political crises. In addition, He has led several International Election Observation Missions between 2015 and 2023 to Tanzania, Zambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, The Gambia, Kenya Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe
In 2019, he emerged Chairperson of the African Chapter of the International Summit Council for Peace, an association of serving and former Presidents who are jointly working to bring peace, stability, and economic prosperity to the world.
In May and July 2020, he was appointed as a Member of the Kofi Annan Foundation Electoral Integrity Initiative Senior Panel and as the ECOWAS Special Envoy to head its mediation mission to resolve the socio-political crisis in Mali, respectively. In 2021 ECOWAS appointed Dr. Jonathan as Chair of the Council of the Wise.
An avid farmer, Dr. Jonathan is a Life Patron and Fellow of various societies including the Nigerian Environmental Society, the Fisheries Society of Nigeria, Public Administrators of Nigeria, International Association of Impact Assessment, Institute of Corporate Affairs Management as well as Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International.
Dr. Jonathan holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Zoology, Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology, respectively, all from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Welcome to ACAT.
