Former President Federal Republic of Nigeria
His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2010-2015, was born in Otuoke, Bayelsa State on November 20, 1957. He holds Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Zoology, Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology respectively; all obtained from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Previously, Dr Jonathan served as a Science Inspector of Education, a lecturer, and later as an Assistant Director of the Directorate of Environmental Protection and Pollution Control in the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (now Niger Delta Development Commission). President Jonathan’s active political career began in 1998 when he was first elected Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. He served in that capacity from 1999-2005, where his innate traits of humility, service, and loyalty received public notice. Afterward, he became the acting, and later, the substantive Governor of Bayelsa State from 2005-2007. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was elected Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2007, a position he held until January 2010 when he became Acting President and following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in May 2010, he was sworn in as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2011, he contested and was elected as Nigeria’s President. He peacefully handed over to the present administration in May 2015. His successful Transformational Agenda led the implementation of projects and policies targeted at promoting development across different areas of the economy. Under his watch, Nigeria experienced unprecedented economic growth and became the largest economy in Africa. As President, he promoted democratic values and principles, peace and national security. As President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Jonathan made major contributions to the political, economic and social development of Nigeria through his Transformation Agenda. He vigorously pursued his commitment to change the global negative perceptions of the Nigerian elections by reforming the electoral process to establish a culture of non-violent, free, fair, and credible elections. He further promoted democratization through the observance of the rule of law, enactment of the Freedom of Information Act, electoral reforms and non-interference in electoral outcomes. He successfully pursued his economic recovery programme known as the Transformation Agenda through which he expanded the economy and increased agricultural and industrial production as well as supported and elevated the creative industry sector. He promoted social advancement through gender inclusion and equity and expanded access to education through the establishment and expansion of specialized and tertiary institutions. He grew the economy to be the largest in Africa with a GDP of over half a trillion dollars. He worked with his colleagues particularly Heads of States in the ECOWAS to resolve the political crisis and stabilize democracies in the sub-region and Africa especially in countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso and Togo. His commitment and passion towards bringing peace and stability to Africa within his five-year tenure gave Nigeria more recognition in the United Nations Security Council. Nigeria was nominated twice, a feat very rarely achieved by non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Dr. Jonathan was also given the highest national honour by several African Presidents of their countries equivalent to the GCFR in Nigeria for his commitment to stabilizing democracy in the ECOWAS. Since leaving office in 2015, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has remained totally committed to promoting democracy, credible elections, peace and respect for the rule of law in Africa. He is the Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, an organization he founded to promote best practices in democracy, peace and prosperity in Africa. He has led different International Election Observer Missions to various nations including Tanzania (Commonwealth-2015), Zambia (African Union-2016), Liberia (National Democratic Institute-2017), Sierra Leone (Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, EISA-2018), South Africa (EISA-2019) and Mozambique (African Union-2019). In 2019, he emerged Chairperson of the African Chapter of the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP), an association of serving and former Presidents who are jointly working to bring peace, stability and economic prosperity to the world. In May 2020, he was appointed as a Member of the Kofi Annan Foundation Electoral Integrity Initiative Senior Panel. Given his position as the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the great roles and contributions his administration offered to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in ECOWAS region, in July 2020, he was appointed as the ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali with the mandate of restoring peace and democracy in the country. In December 2020, he was invited by the Government of the Gambia to lead the process of dialogue for a new constitution for the Country. He was recently nominated as a member of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise (CoW). In and out of office, Dr Jonathan has received several local and international awards, in recognition of his exceptional public service and commitment to peace, democracy and good governance on the continent.
Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Co-operatives, Kenya
Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda
Eric Rwigamba is the Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda since August 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Minister of Public Investments and Privatization of the Republic of Rwanda. He also served as the Director General of the Financial Sector Development Directorate in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning of Rwanda.
Eric Rwigamba holds a Master’s Degree from Oklahoma Christian University – USA in Business Administration (MBA Finance), and a Bachelor of Commerce/Finance from Makerere University – Uganda. He served on several boards like Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority (CMA), Africa Export-Import Bank, East Africa Development Bank, and Access to Finance Rwanda.
Minister, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries, Uganda
Frank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze is a Ugandan educator and politician. He is the current Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries a position he assumed on 21st June 2021. Prior to that, he served as Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development from December 2019 to June 2021, Minister of ICT and National Guidance from June 2016 to December 2019 and Minister for the Presidency and Kampala Capital City between 2012 and 2016. He has been the Member of Parliament representing Kibale County and currently Kibale East in Kamwenge district since 2006 on the National Resistance Movement political party ticket.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in education specialising in Math and Physics from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a Masters in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies, a Masters in Public Health from Makerere University and a Masters of Business Administration of ESAMI. Prior to joining elective politics, he among others worked with Uganda Revenue Authority as a Customs Officer and Office of the President as Special Presidential Assistant on Research and Information.
He is passionate about Governance, Agriculture, ICTs for development, Innovation and communication. He is a frequent author on topical issues in the traditional and wider media platforms.
He hails from Kamwenge district in the Rwenzori region, Western Uganda.
Minister, Ministry of Education, Burkina Faso
Hon. Professor Adjima Thiombiano is the new Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. He was appointed on October 25, 2022. He has been a full professor in plant biology and ecology since 2011. Prof. Thiombiano, 56, has held several positions in university administration. He was, among others, Director General of the Institute of Sciences in Ouagadougou and President of the Thomas Sankara University. He has also received training in several other areas. These include environmental assessment, phytosociology, species and ecosystem productivity and fauna-flora interaction.
Minister, Ministry of Education, Science & Technology, Tanzania
Hon. Prof. Adolf Faustine Mkenda, born in 1963, is a distinguished Tanzanian political figure and academic. Holding the position of Minister of Education, Science, and Technology since January 2022, Mkenda's journey in Tanzanian politics has been marked by his versatility and commitment to public service. Prior to his current role, he demonstrated his leadership as the Minister of Agriculture in both the 5th and 6th Cabinets of Tanzania, following his victory in the 2020 general election. Mkenda's academic prowess is reflected in his role as an associate professor of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam. With a rich background that includes serving as Permanent Secretary in various ministries, he brings a wealth of experience to his role as a Chama Cha Mapinduzi's Member of Parliament for Rombo constituency since November 2020.
Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, South Sudan
Hon. Josephine Lagu holds a BA Hons degree majoring in Philosophy, and Psychology minor from the University of Khartoum, Sudan. After teaching for a few years in Juba University, she won a scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies in the University of London, Institute of Education in United Kingdom.
At the University of London’s Institute of Education, she attained Advanced Diploma Education and Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology, before undertaking a PhD studies.
A trained teacher, she achieved the position of Senior Lecturer in Education and briefly served in 2008/2009 as Undersecretary for Higher Education in then Ministry of Education, Government of South Sudan.
Hon. Josephine Lagu is currently leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and Chairperson of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), an umbrella grouping of eight political parties that are signatories to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
Holding the portfolio of Agriculture and Food Security since arly 2020, in the R-TGoNU, Hon. Josephine Lagu is particularly passionate about the development of the agricultural sector to fuel economic growth in the nascent country. She has been actively promoting the motto “Let’s Produce What we Eat”, as a way of ending the country’s dependence on food imports.
Board Chair, African Agricultural Technology Foundation and Head of Science, Technology and Innovation Hub (NSTIH), NEPAD
Aggrey Ambali is currently serving as Head of Science, Technology and Innovation Hub (NSTIH) at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, where he oversees the development and implementation of programs in education, health, and science and technology. He has also served in other positions at the NEPAD Agency, including Director of Policy Alignment and Program Development, Coordinator of the African Biosciences Initiative, and Coordinator of Science and Technology for the Southern Africa region. He has been actively involved in science, technology and innovation programmes of the African Union. He coordinated the work of the African Union High Level Panel on Science, Technology and Innovation which was appointed in July 2012 and mandated to prepare a ten-year African Union Science, Technology and Innovation strategy for Africa, 2014- 2024 (STISA 2024). Outside the NEPAD Agency, he served as an external member of Governing Council of the University of Namibia, and member of the Innovation Council of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). He serves on several committees including the Technical Advisory Committee of the Biosafety Program of ICGEB, Chair of the Management Committee of the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE), member of the Advisory Panel of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), etc. Aggrey Ambali is currently coordinating the process of establishing a high-level African Union panel on harnessing emerging technologies for Africa’s development. Aggrey Ambali obtained a PhD degree in Population Genetics from Dalhousie University, Canada, Masters of Science in Aquaculture from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from University of Malawi. He served as a faculty member at the University of Malawi where he became a Professor of Biology in 2003.
Executive Director African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
Director General International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya
Professor Djikeng joined ILRI and CGIAR from the University of Edinburgh, where he is currently Professor and Chair of Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development, as well as the Director, Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) based at the Roslin Institute. He will retain his affiliation with the Roslin Institute of the University of Edinburgh to strengthen the partnership with ILRI and the CGIAR system. Professor Djikeng previously worked with ILRI from 2009-2016 as Technology Manager and then Director of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA)-ILRI Hub. He has received numerous awards, including the 2020 Nelson Mandela Justice Award. He was also recognized by the Decade of Health as one of the 10 people in the United Kingdom changing health. Professor Djikeng was born in Cameroon and is the first African to be appointed Director General of ILRI.
Deputy Mission Director, USAID Kenya and East Africa
Sheila Roquitte is the Deputy Mission Director of USAID Kenya and East Africa. Prior to this she was the Director for the Agricultural Research & Policy Office at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Ms. Roquitte managed the Research, Human & Institutional Capacity Development, and Policy divisions within the Bureau for Food Security. Her office overseed the majority of USAID food security investments that are made through U.S. Universities and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers. As a career Foreign Service Officer, Ms. Roquitte has worked with USAID since 1999, posted in Washington, Africa, and Asia. Most recently, she served as the Sr. Resilience Advisor for Asia based in Bangkok. Before coming to USAID, Ms. Roquitte worked for the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. Government as well as for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, consulted for Fortune 500 companies, and ran a grassroots NGO. Ms. Roquitte holds a B.A. in Economics & Mathematics from Northwestern University, and an M.P.A. in Economic Development from Princeton University.
Chair, Agriculture and Livestock Committee of the National Assembly in Kenya
Hon. John Mutunga, the current Chair of the National Assembly in Kenya, is a distinguished political figure with a robust background in agricultural leadership and public service. He holds a Ph.D. from Kenyatta University (2008), a Master's degree in Development Sociology from the University of Nairobi (2004), and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi (1988). His academic journey reflects a commitment to continuous learning and has equipped him with the knowledge to address the intricate challenges of both the agricultural sector and legislative matters. With a career spanning from District Livestock Production Officer to Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya National Farmers Federation, Hon. Mutunga's leadership is marked by a blend of practical experience and academic expertise, making him a valuable asset to the Kenyan political landscape.
President and Chief Executive Officer CropLife International, Belgium
Emily Rees is a former Senior Fellow at ECIPE and Managing Director at Trade Strategies, a trade and regulatory advisory consultancy. A Franco-British national, Emily comes from an extensive career in trade policy and economic diplomacy, having led Brazil’s trade and investment agency relations with the European Union and served as Deputy Trade Attaché of France to Brazil. An economist by training, Emily’s expertise lies at the intersection of trade, sustainability and agriculture. Her areas of interest include “new generation” trade issues including animal welfare, anti-microbial resistance, environmental food standards and values in trade. A regular guest lecturer in international political economy, her analyses are regularly featured in European and Latin America media, including The Economist, BBC, Sky News, LN24, Valor Econômico and Estado de São Paulo.
Secretary General East African Community (EAC), Tanzania
Dr. Peter Mathuki is the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC). He serves as the Principal Executive Officer of the Community and also as the Secretary to the Summit of the EAC Heads of State. He coordinates the EAC Council of Ministers meetings and also oversees all the Institutions of the EAC. Dr. Mathuki is an ardent champion of the EAC regional integration. Since his assumption to office, he has provided strategic leadership and facilitation for new dimensions in the EAC Secretariat; through deepening and the expansion of the Community, with the recent admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and pursuing peace and security efforts in some troubled parts of the region. He served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the East African Business Council (EABC), (2018-2021). He was instrumental in driving and articulating the Private Sector priorities in EAC decision-making processes. Herein, he spearheaded many regional, continental and international high-level public-private dialogues which resulted in the resolution of bottlenecks hindering the growth of intra-EAC trade and investment. Dr. Mathuki served as a Member of Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), (2012-2017) where he chaired the EALA Committee responsible for Good Governance, and served in the Committees of Accounts and Trade & Investment. He worked at the European Union (EU) programs for Africa based in Asmara, Eritrea (2010-2012) and prior to that, he served as Director in charge of International Labour Standards (ILO) at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU-Africa now ITUC-Africa) (2004-2008). Dr. Mathuki has actively played a pivotal role in overseeing the coming into effect of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and championed the formation of the African Business Council, in a bid to reposition the EAC bloc to reap the benefits availed by the continental market. He was also instrumental in creating several regional platforms critical in the negotiation of the EAC Common Market Protocol and Regional economic issues since 2004 such as the East African Employers Association (EAEA) and the East African Trade Union Confederation (EATUC). He sits on various boards across the region, including all boards of EAC Institutions. His career in global leadership has seen him establish strong global and private-sector networks including the diaspora community across the world. Dr. Mathuki holds an MBA and PhD in Strategic Management & Regional Integration from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Executive Director, Alliance for Science
Dr. Sheila Ochugboju is a futurist, international development expert and communication specialist who has been working in research science and international development for more than 15 years. She most recently served as Head of Strategic Communications for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In addition to senior management roles in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, she has worked with international think tanks, various United Nations agencies, multilateral institutions and philanthropic organizations across Europe, Africa and Asia. Sheila is an inaugural TED Africa Fellow and co-founder of Africa Knows, a knowledge management and media consultancy. She earned a Bachelor of Science in medical biochemistry and a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from the University of London and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in baculovirus expression at the University of Oxford. Sheila, who has four grown children, currently resides in London and will be relocating to Ithaca, New York.
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Gambia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
His Excellency Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah is the Ambassador & Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN Office at Geneva, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other offices in Geneva. He currently Chairs the Africa Group of Ambassadors at Geneva (April 2021-June 2021) and is the Vice Chair for UNCTAD's Commission on Science and Technology Development's 25th session and a member of the Advisory Board of the UNCTAD TDB Advisory Body (June 2021-July 2022). Ambassador Prof. Kah is also one of three Ambassadors designated as Friends of the Chair of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) General Assembly.
Prior to his appointment in Geneva, Professor Kah served as the Founding Chairman of Zenith Bank, The Gambia, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Africa Consulting & Trading Group (ACT), Dakar, Senegal and as the first Gambian-born third Vice Chancellor of The University of The Gambia (UTG) from 2009- 2015 and recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Prior to becoming UTG's Vice Chancellor/Rector in 2009, Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah spent 4 years in Nigeria as the Founding Dean of the School of Information Technology and Communications at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) where he doubled for a year as Interim Dean of the School of Business & Entrepreneurship. Professor Kah was appointed as Vice President of Academic Affairs & Provost (DVC) and Professor of Information Technology & Computing at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State (2017-2020). He also served as Vice Rector for Technology & Innovation; Professor and Founding Dean of the School of Information Technology & Engineering at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan (2015-2017). He served at the Board of Trustees and Governing councils of the American University of Nigeria and the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria.
Professor Kah has held teaching and leadership positions in the USA, Africa, the Middle East (Gulf countries) and Eastern Europe (Caucuses). A regular contributor to the “Africa Module" in the Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) at Cambridge Judge Business School, he was appointed as an honorary Fellow of the Judge Business School and the Digital Innovation Centre, University of Cambridge (2016-2017). Professor Kah is passionate about advancing and strengthening computing, engineering, science, and leading strategy & innovation in organizations. To complement that he also provides thought leadership in information technologies & computing education in higher education whilst also serving as a member of international panels such as the Malabo Montpellier Panel, the Euro Science Forum 2018, Africa Europe Foundation, amongst others.
Completing his BSc, MSc. and Ph.D. at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, one of the top engineering and technology management universities in the USA, Professor Kah also holds a Master of Science in Finance (Financial Engineering) from George Washington University, Washington, DC and a Postgraduate Diploma (Dip SI) in Strategy and Innovation from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, UK.
Professor Kah has completed several Executive Education Programs: University of Cambridge, Judge Business School: the Advanced Leadership (ALP) Program; Advanced Leadership Re-Union & Follow-Up Program in Singapore and Beyond Innovation: Business Models for Transformation & Competitive Advantage; Harvard University, Harvard Kennedy School: Transforming Leadership for 21st Century Africa, and The AGA KHAN University, Graduate School of Media & Communication: The Voice of Leadership; Inspiration, Influence & Impact. In Corporate Governance, he has completed the highly reputable International Directors Program (IDP) as an Internationally Certified Director from INSEAD, through the INSEAD Singapore and Fontainebleau, France, Campus. Professor Kah is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD), London, UK.
Director of Eastern Africa Hub and Leader of the Biotechnology Program at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Dr. Leena Tripathi is the Director of Eastern Africa Hub and Leader of the Biotechnology Program at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), a member of One CGIAR. She is leading the transgenic and gene-editing research at IITA. She has been involved in plant biotechnology research for more than 25 years, with specific interests in crop improvement. She focuses on “Science to Practice” and linking scientific innovations to practical applications to solve food production issues worldwide. Her primary research focuses on genetically improving important staple food crops like banana/plantain, cassava, and yam to control diseases and pests. Her scientific contributions have been recognized internationally through several awards and honors, such as excellence awards for outstanding scientist and publications. She has been honored as an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her contributions to Agriculture.
Dr. Tripathi and her team have established a robust genetic transformation platform at IITA-Kenya, to develop transgenic and gene-edited products and transfer these technologies to national agricultural research systems in sub-Saharan Africa. She collaborates globally with advanced labs in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, as well as with national partners in Africa, and various regional partners. She serves as Editorial Board Member for Plant Biotechnology Journal, Communication Biology, Frontiers in Genome Editing, Scientific Reports, and Plant Cell Reports. Leena obtained her Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology and M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. She worked at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before joining IITA.
Founder & Executive Chairperson, AKADEMIYA2063, Rwanda
Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Distinguished Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists, recipient of the Africa Food Prize in 2015 and member of the World Academy of Sciences, is the founder and Executive Chairperson of AKADEMIYA2063. He has over 30 years of experience, as academic and a practitioner, in international development. As the Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute, he was instrumental in developing and guiding the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. As Lead Specialist for Food and Agricultural Policy at the World Bank, he served as advisor to the Vice President for Africa and originated projects with funding ranging from US$5 million to US$150 million. Between research and development finance, Dr. Badiane taught Economics of Development in Africa at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies for many years. Dr. Badiane received PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Kiel in Germany. He is also recipient of a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of KwaZulu Natal.
Member, Board of Trustees, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) & CEO, Kamano Seed, Zambia
Sylvia possesses over 20 years management experience having worked across diverse sectors comprising parastatal and private companies. She holds a higher Diploma in Project Management from Cambridge University and various Diplomas in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, Business Management and Administration, Sales and Marketing, and Certificates in Plant Breeding, Seed Production and Agribusiness. Sylvia joined Kamano Seed in 2004 and rose from Marketing Director to the position of Chief Executive Officer/share holder. She has attended Seed Breeding training in Sweden and Sri Lanka and is affiliated to Making Markets Matter which has exposed her to a lot of international businesses. She is also a committee member of Zambia Seed Traders Association. Due to her hard work and determination, Kamano Seed was awarded 1st prize for having marketed and sold the highest volume of orange maize seed under HarvestPlus/Ag Result. Sylvia has passion for women and youth and is always trying to better their lives. She has continued to play a big role in Zambia by making sure that the small holder farmers are well taken care of through food security.
Professor at the University of Zimbabwe's Department of Biochemistry
Idah Sithole-Niang is Professor at the University of Zimbabwe's Department of Biochemistry which she joined in 1992. She obtained a Phd in Biochemistry at Michigan State University (MSU) working on chicken and turkey herpersviruses. She pursued post doctoral training at the Plant Research Laboratory at MSU working on the genetics of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. She has been working on the genetic improvement of cowpea for two decades and co-founded the Network for the Genetic Improvement of Cowpea for Africa (NGICA) with Prof. Larry Murdock of Purdue University, USA in order to bring useful and meaningful resources to this neglected crop. The cowpea project is now one of the flagship projects at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) with Bt cowpea undergoing four seasons of confined field trials in Nigeria, two seasons in Burkina Faso and now destined for Ghana in July 2013.
Idah has worked on biotechnology and biosafety capacity development for 2 decades within Zimbabwe and several sub-Saharan African countries including, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia. She acts as a Technical Advisor for sub-Saharan Africa on the Program for Biosafety Systems, and chairs the Board of Trustees of the AATF.
President, International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC)
Prof. Lateef Oladimeji Sanni is the President of International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC). He is a highly accomplished academic and researcher in the field of Food Science and Technology. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree with Second Class Upper Division from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in 1990, followed by a Master's and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degrees in Food Technology from the University of Ibadan in 1993 and 1999, respectively. He has had a long and distinguished career at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, starting as an Assistant Lecturer in 1993 and eventually becoming a Professor of Food Science and Technology in 2008. Prof. Sanni has made significant contributions to his field, with 72 Technical Journal articles, 25 books, and 26 conference proceedings to his name. He has held various leadership positions, including being the Head of Department of Food Science and Technology and Director of A.G. Leventis Memorial Centre for Learning. He has also been actively involved in research projects and organizations, such as serving as Country Manager for Nigeria in the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa project and as the National President of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology. His achievements have been recognized with awards, including the CGIAR Award Regional Technology Development in Sub Saharan Africa and the Outstanding Award for Academic Accomplishment. Additionally, he has played key roles in various academic and research committees and editorial boards, further establishing his expertise and influence in the field of Food Science and Technology.
Director of Research and Deputy Director of Agricultural Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Malawi
Dr. Grace Kaudzu currently serves as the Deputy Director of Agricultural Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development in Lilongwe, Malawi. She has served previously as Seed Scientist and Team Leader for Seed Certification and Quality Control in the same ministry. Her expertise in seed science and commitment to ensuring quality have been instrumental in shaping agricultural practices. Grace's journey began at Iowa State University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Crop Production and Physiology with a focus on Seed Science and a minor in Plant Breeding. During her time in the USA, she also served as a Research and Teaching Assistant and as a Norman E. Borlaug Research Fellow. Grace holds an MSC in Horticulture from the University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture. Her academic journey is complemented by active participation in esteemed agricultural societies, including the American Society of Agronomy and the International Seed Testing Association. Grace is a visionary leader driving innovation and sustainable development in Malawi's agricultural landscape.
Division Chief, Input Systems, USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security
Ashish leads the Center for Agriculture-Led Growth’s crop improvement and seed systems work, and oversees the Center’s research collaboration with many university, CGIAR and private sector partners and co-funders. Ashish began his career with a small NGO in India, and later came to the US where he pursued advanced degrees in Plant Breeding and Genetics, and subsequently joined and later led private sector breeding programs at Dow and Syngenta. He has strong interests in data visualization and in understanding GxExM to harness the true genetic potential of plants. He has also led integration of technologies in crop improvement, for example high throughput phenotyping and genome editing.
Founder and Director, Rural Outreach Africa (ROA), Kenya
Honorable Professor Ruth Khasaya Oniang’o, PhD, SS (Silver Star), DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) has taught at Tertiary level since 1978 and received her 1st and 2nd degrees from Washington State University, Pullman, USA in 1972 and 1974, and her PhD from the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 1983. From 1978-1990 Professor Oniang’o was a distinguished academic at Jomo Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya becoming the first Nutrition professor in Kenya and probably the first woman Nutrition professor in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. She has influenced the development of Nutrition training, research, development and discourse in much of Africa and has participated in consultations and on committees at the international level whose decisions have shaped global food security and nutrition. Her grasp of African food and Nutrition issues often enabled her to be Africa’s voice at many international forums such as the World Nutrition Conference in 1992 and the World Food Summit in 1996. Prof Oniang’o has served as external examiner for a number of Universities in Africa and in the process assisted them to develop or revise their Food Science and Nutrition curricula. These include: Moi, Egerton, Maseno and Kenyatta Universities in Kenya; Sokoine University in Tanzania; University of Namibia; University of Zimbabwe and Bunda University College in Malawi. Locally, she has served on: Egerton University Council, Board of Private Sector Governance Trust, Institute of Public Policy Analysis and Research and Kenya Bureau of Standards. She has attended and given plenary addresses to International Congresses of the IUNS (International Union of Nutritional Sciences), IUFoST (International Union of Food Science and Technology) and Crop Science meetings.
Director General, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
Dr Feto Esimo Berisso is the Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.
Head for Seed Research and Systems Development, AGRA
Dr. Jane Ininda is Head for Seed Research and Systems Development at AGRA and leads crop research, seed production, and seed certification and regulatory interventions. Her career in agricultural science and development in Africa spans 30+ years. She has led teams of professional crop breeders in 18 Africa countries who have developed and released 685 resilient and climate smart crop varieties. More than 450 of those varieties have been commercialized by 100+ private seed companies in Africa. She has more than 40 publications as peer reviewed papers, and book chapters. This is in addition to blogs, media articles and many impact stories. Realizing the importance of forming strong alliances and sharing updated information and knowledge among agricultural scientists she has propelled several networks in crop breeding for Africa. She has also featured the effects of food shortage in a film ‘Silent Killer-the unfinished Campaign against hunger’. Jane holds a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding-Major, from Iowa State University, USA. She is a recipient of the C.R. Weber Award in recognition for outstanding achievement in graduate study in Crop Science at Iowa State University, USA.
Agriculture Attache, Mission of Kenya to FAO
Anthony Gikandi Muriithi has more than 30 years of professional experience in the Kenyan agricultural sector. He is currently the Agriculture Attache and Alternate Permanent Representative to the UNRBAs in Kenya Mission, Rome, Italy. Prior to this he served as the Director General of The Agriculture and Food Authority, Kenya. He has a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics majoring in Production Economics and Agriculture Policy.
Mr. Anthony Gikandi Muriithi also has strong knowledge in strategy and policy formulation and in monitoring and evaluation as relates to the Crops Sector. He is a member of several organisations, including the International Association of Agricultural Economists, the African Association of Agricultural Economics, and the Kenya Society of Agricultural Professionals. He has previously served as the Vice Chair of the German Tea Association, the International Cotton Researchers Association and Committee member of the Tea Association of USA.
He is the Vice Chair of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and was the Rapporteur of the CFS Policy recommendations on Strengthening Collection and Use of Food Security and Nutrition Data Process 2023. He has previously served as a Bureau Member of the Committee of Agriculture (COAG) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Director General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)
Dr Agnes Yemisi Asagbra is the Director-General/CEO National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA). She is the former DG FIIRO Oshodi Lagos is an indigene of Lagos state. She holds a Doctorate certificate in Food and Industrial Microbiology from the Premier University of Ibadan (2004), a Master’s qualification from the University of Benin(1987) and a First degree from the University of Lagos(1983), She began her profession in the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria on January fourth, 1988 as a Research Officer I. She was sent to the Fermentation Unit of the Applied Biology Department of the Institute, before her recent appointment.
Former Executive Director, AATF
Denis T. Kyetere was the Former Executive Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). Before joining AATF he was the Director General of Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). Denis holds a PhD from The Ohio State University, MSc from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth College – all in Genetics and Plant Breeding and BSc (Hons) in Botany and Zoology from Makerere University, Uganda.
Member, Board of Trustees AATF – on IP and legal frameworks in support of biotechnology in African Agriculture
Mr. George Sarpong is a lawyer, journalist, and recognized industry leader in media and communications policy in Ghana. He currently serves as executive secretary of Ghana’s National Media Commission, which oversees more than 360 radio stations, 80 registered newspapers, 25 television channels, and various online publications. As executive secretary, he initiates and implements policies to ensure free, responsible, pluralistic, and diverse media and also works to address threats to media freedom and development. Before joining the National Media Commission, Mr. Sarpong served as coordinator of publications at the Media Foundation for West Africa, where he organized programs for the defense of journalists in West Africa. In 2001 he founded the Youth Network for Human Rights and Democracy (you-net) to train young Ghanaians in leadership and good governance, and in 2010 he set up the Party Youth Forum to foster peaceful cooperation among youth from different political parties. During his fellowship, George examined the implications of the transition from analog to digital broadcasting on freedom of expression and access to information in Africa. Central to his analysis was the role of the Chinese government in facilitating the technological transfer that digital migration requires, given the increased presence of China in the African media space. He offered insights into how regulatory policies could protect media pluralism following the digital transition.
Director General, KALRO
Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger is the Director General/CEO of KALRO. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Managing Director/CEO of the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya. Dr Kireger attained his PhD in Plant Eco-physiology from the University of Wales, (UK), MSc in Genetics and Tree breeding from University of Toronto (Canada) and a BSc in Forestry from Moi University (Kenya). He has trained in Conflict Management and Resolution, Strategic Leadership, Company Directorship and Change Management among others. He was an Appointed Member of the board of management of Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) where he chaired the Audit committee.
Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery
Kenton Dashiell is the Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery. Dr Dashiell received degrees from Purdue University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Florida in Agronomy and Crop Breeding.
He was the Soybean Breeder for IITA based in Ibadan, Nigeria from 1983 to 2001. While at IITA he worked with several partners in the national agricultural research systems and other IITA scientists to develop soybean varieties with promiscuous nodulation, high grain and fodder yields, good resistance to pod shattering and several diseases. Some of these varieties were tested and released in several African countries and are now being grown by smallholder farmers. He was the Leader of the Grain Legume Improvement Program at IITA for many years and managed soybean and cowpea projects in several African countries. Before leaving IITA in 2001 he was the Director of the Crop Improvement Division.
Before joining IITA in 2012 he was the Leader of the N2Africa Project based with CIAT-Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility in Nairobi, Kenya. This project is working with partners in eight African countries to increase the productivity and nitrogen fixation of grain legumes. He was the Location Coordinator and Research Leader for the North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory at the USDA-ARS in Brookings, South Dakota, for 6 years and the groundnut breeder at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, for 3 years.
At present his biggest interests include moving technologies that increase crop yields in farmers’ fields and improving the health and nutrition of African families from the labs and research fields to the end users, and building the capacity of the next generation of agricultural scientists, technicians, extension agents, and farmers. He is always looking for new partners for IITA in the areas of agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.
Chief Executive Officer Agricultural Transformation Agency of Ethiopia
Mandefro Nigussie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA). The Agency is an initiative of the Government of Ethiopia, established by federal regulation to promote agricultural sector transformation in Ethiopia by identifying solutions to systemic bottlenecks in key program areas. Prior to joining the ATA, Mandefro served as a State Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and led the Agriculture Development Sub-sector of the Ministry. The Sub-sector consisted of Crop Production, Agricultural TVET, Agricultural Extension, Mechanization, Regulatory and Mega Projects such as the Agricultural Growth Program. Before his appointment to a State Minister, Mandefro was the Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Country Manager of AGRA and Deputy Regional Director of Oxfam America. Mandefro has led the development of several agricultural policies, various programs in the areas of advocacy, relief, development, climate change, agricultural extension performance management systems. He also published various articles in books, journals, proceedings, and research reports in the area of crop sciences, marketing and entrepreneurship, and biotechnology & biosafety. He has taught and supervised postgraduate students in different universities, and he is also a fellow member of the Ethiopian Academy of Science and was a member of the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) of CGIAR. He has also served as Board chair, and board members of various institutions. Currently leading the Agriculture Sector Policy Reform of Ethiopia. He holds BSc, MSc and PhD in Plant Sciences, Agronomy and Genetics and Plant Breeding, respectively. And also holds MBA.
Chief Executive Officer, South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions
Nompumelelo Obokoh (nee Masubelele) holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology from the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, UK. She is the CEO of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) and the former Chairperson of the Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF) (October 2018 - November 2022). She also serves as an independent non-executive Director of FruitSA.
With more than 18 years working in agricultural research and innovation systems with a focus on biotechnology, Nompumelelo has led multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, and multi-national teams and efforts to improve sustainable agricultural productivity for small-holder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to extensive research experience in South Africa, she has worked and engaged with various stakeholders in the agricultural innovation value-chain throughout Southern, East, and West Africa. She has a strong background in biotechnology, capacity building, advocacy, private-public partnerships – including with NARES, intellectual property rights issues, and scaling up agricultural technologies.
She was appointed as a Commissioner in the South African Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution and has held various leadership positions as an Executive (General Manager: Bioeconomy) at The Innovation Hub Management Company, CEO of AfricaBio (an independent non-profit association in the biotechnology sector) and as Divisional Head for Innovation Support and Protection of Companies & Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), and with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Abuja, Nigeria and Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to this, she was a Senior Manager at the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa and a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, UK.
She has received several awards and accolades including the Mandela Cambridge Scholarship, Mandela Magdalene College Scholarship, Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society, as well as the Rothamstead International - African Research Fellowship. She was featured in the 2020 Women’s Report: Celebrating Black Women’s Excellence and by the Art of Superwomen - A Woman Belongs: In The Biotechnology & Agricultural Industry.
President, Embrapa, Brazil
Dr. Celso Moretti is President of Embrapa. A researcher with Embrapa since 1994, he has dedicated the past 13 years to public administration. Dr. Celso Moretti is a member of the Global Panel for Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, the UK, and an executive board member of such associations and initiatives as: The Cooperative Program for Technological Development of Agriculture and Agro-Industry in the Southern Cone of the Americas; Brazilian Association of Agribusiness (ABAG); the Council of Agribusiness of the State of Sao Paulo Industries (Cosag/Fiesp); the JBS Fund for the Amazon; and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the UAE. He is author of book chapters, editor of technical books and author and co-author of scientific papers in national and international journals. He has extensive international experience, having presented scientific papers, acted as a consultant and delivered lectures, seminars and conferences in more than 40 countries. He was a consultant to the UNDP for China and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the USA. He is an alumnus (2016) of the Harvard School of Government, Harvard University, the USA. He has also been a Courtesy Associate Professor with the University of Florida, the USA, since 2006. Dr. Celso Moretti holds a BSc degree in agronomy, and MSc and PhD degrees in plant science.
Founder, iCow
Susan Kahumbu, is a passionate Social Agtech-innovator, regenerative farmer, Soil geek and Ankole breeder. She is recognized as a pioneer in the organic sector in Africa and is the CEO of Green Dreams TECH Ltd the producer of the award-winning agricultural platform iCow.
iCow is an agricultural platform designed to climate proof smallholder farmers in Africa by providing farmers with access to comprehensive and verifiable best climate adaptation and mitigation practices and experts in livestock, crop and soil fertility management. To date iCow has reached approximately 2 million farmers across Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
As Kenyas first Certified Soil Food Web Lab Technician Su is championing soil health through soil microbiology and is currently building the resource and people capacity to deliver Africas first Smallholder Soil Microbiology Service. Su is a TED Global Fellow and a member of the Board of Governors of the Mpesa Foundation Academy.
She has won several awards as follows:
Director at Biotechnology and Stewardship for Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa
Dr. Walter Alhassan is an agricultural Scientist with extensive experience of university teaching and research in Ghana and Nigeria. He currently serves as the director for Biotechnology and Stewardship for Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa. Previously, he served as the director general of the Ghana Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Dean of Agriculture at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (Nigeria).
He has held very senior management positions in teaching (full professor of animal science at the Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria and Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana and served as member of several international boards in agriculture, education and the biosciences. He has been involved in biotechnology advocacy, biosafety policy advice and science policy activities.
Dr. Alhassan has conducted extensive studies on the status and application of agricultural biotechnology in Africa. He holds degrees in animal, poultry and dairy sciences and tropical agriculture from the University of Guelph (Canada), the University of Wisconsin (US), and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana).
Member, Board of Trustees
Shey holds a BA in International Relations from Amherst College in Massachusetts, an MBA in Finance and Management from Yale University School of Management and a CPA from the University of Maryland USA.
Shey began his professional life working as a Team Leader and Senior Economic Development Specialist for a Private Public Partnership entity for economic development in Washington DC. He later joined the World Bank where he worked as a financial analyst. He later took leave from the World Bank and was appointed as the Interim Director of Finance for an International Agriculture Research Association for West Africa.
Shey later returned to the World Bank where he served under different positions leading teams and advising decision makers in fiduciary management, governance, institutional and program evaluation, administration, resource mobilization and outreach in Africa, Asia and the US. In recent times, Shey has also consulted and provided advice to international development (AfDB and IFAD).
Chief Executive Officer, GALVmed
Carolin Schumacher is the Chief Executive Officer of GALVmed. She holds a Diploma in Veterinary Medicine and a Doctorate in Veterinary Virology. She has worked with GALVmed since November 2018, where she currently holds a key role with operational responsibilities.
Carolin's journey began as an animal veterinary surgeon in Germany (1992). She then served as an R&D project manager at Virbac, France (1992-97) and as Product Manager for oral rabies vaccines at Merial (2001-2003). Her leadership roles include Head of Veterinary Public Health Franchise at Merial (2003-12), Head of Public Affairs and CSR at Merial (2012-2017), and Head of Public Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health (2017-18).
Her academic background is complemented by post-graduate training in negotiation, finance, leadership, team development, communication, and crisis management.
Beyond work, Carolin enjoys traveling, outdoor sports, and photography.
Director, Agriculture and Agro-Industry African Development Bank (AfDB), Côte d'Ivoire
Dr. Martin Fregene is Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industry at the African Development Bank. He is a plant geneticist with 27 years of experience in crop improvement and agricultural policy.
He developed the first molecular genetic map of cassava and started the first molecular breeding program of cassava. He began his career at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1991 and was a recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation post-doctoral fellowship on genetic mapping in 1993 at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia.
In 2008, he joined the BioCassava Plus project at the Danforth Center, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and rose to the position of Project Director. He was Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria 2012 - 2015. He joined the African Development Bank in 2017 as Adviser to the Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Capacity Development, becoming Director in January 2018.
Director, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), South Africa
I study the molecular ecology and evolution of fungal communities, fungal pathogens and insect pests of plants, especially trees, as well as their symbioses and their natural enemies. I am particularly interested in the anthropogenic impacts on the outcomes of the interactions between these organisms. These interests are explored within a context of both invasive plant pathogens and pests, and native pests or pathogens expanding their host ranges to attack trees of forestry and agricultural importance. My research combines information from systematics, biogeography, phylogenetics, population genetics, (meta-) barcoding, (-)genomics, (-)transcriptomics and chemical ecology. I work on a variety of systems, but have focused extensively on the Botryosphaeriaceae as models of latent fungal pathogens and endophytes of trees. This work extends to a focus on fungal communities in above-ground parts of trees. From and entomological perspective, I have done extensive work on the Sirex woodwasp and its various symbionts and management. This work extends to the molecular and chemical ecology, as well as the biological control, of various other pests in forestry and agriculture, including in Macadamia and Maize.
Founder & CEO, Hello Tractor
Jehiel Oliver is the founder and CEO of Hello Tractor, an agricultural technology company that connects tractor owners with smallholder farmers in need of tractor services. At Hello Tractor, Jehiel is responsible for overall management and strategy. He has been honored with numerous awards for his work in social entrepreneurship including being recognized by Foreign Policy Magazine as a Top 100 Global Thinker and a World Economic Forum Circulars inaugural cohort member. He was appointed under the Obama Administration to serve two years as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, where he most recently chaired the technology subcommittee. Throughout his career, Jehiel has sat on various investment fund boards and currently serves on the board of directors for Root Capital. Prior to Hello Tractor, Jehiel worked in the US in investment banking, private equity, and consulting. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Nairobi, Kenya
Senior Program Officer, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Chief Executive Officer, The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)
Carole Kariuki holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Nairobi and a Masters Degree in Public Administration and International Affairs from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA. She has also pursued several professional courses on Public-Private Sector Dialogue, Global Leadership and Private Sector Development among others.
Ms. Kariuki has a wealth of experience in leadership having worked for Barclays Bank of Kenya, Nairobi Chapel and Sagamore Institute for Public Policy Research, Indianapolis – Indiana, where she acted as a liaison between Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the institute before formally joining KEPSA.
She worked for several years at KEPSA before being appointed KEPSA CEO. Ms. Kariuki is credited for transforming KEPSA from a little-known Business Institution to one of the most influential institutions in Kenya and Globally. KEPSA is the Apex body of the private sector in Kenya, galvanizing the private sector through public-private dialogue and influencing the economic and development agenda of the country and Africa. She serves in several boards and has served in several task forces including the Presidential Task Force on Parastatals Sector Reforms in 2013.
She is a member of several professional bodies including, The Rotary Club of Langata, Kenya Institute of Management and Institute of Directors. She has been recognized with several awards for her leadership and role in the development of the Private Sector.
In 2012 she was voted ‘Extraordinary Personality to Inspire the Future’ by 80% of the 20,000 students of the Entrepreneurship Clubs of Kenyan Universities. She is also the first Senior Fellow at ISOKO, which is an institute based in Indianapolis that promotes private enterprise in Africa.
Director - Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA)
Dr. Njoka is an Entomologist now serving as the Director of DLCO-EA. Previously, he served at KARI/KALRO as a Scientist and Centre Director at Kibos and Embu Centres. He was also privileged to serve as the Project Coordinator of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project At DLCO-EA, he works to enhance Food and Health Security in the Eastern Africa Region by forecasting, monitoring and controlling migratory pests and vectors viz: Desert Locusts, Quelea birds, Army worms and Tsetse flies. The member countries of DLCO - EA are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, DevelopMetrics, USA
Lindsey Moore, CEO and Founder of DevelopMetrics, is a seasoned economist and data scientist with over 15 years of experience in designing, managing, and evaluating international development projects. Recognized as the most promising female-owned tech startup of 2022 by Tiger Global Ventures and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, DevelopMetrics harnesses the power of data science to improve development outcomes. Ms. Moore has a diverse background, having served as a Foreign Service Officer at USAID in various capacities, including Country Economist in Bangladesh, Regional Caribbean Economist based in the Dominican Republic, and Senior Economist of the Asia Bureau. Additionally, she is a Research Fellow at the research arm of the United Nations in Maastricht, Netherlands, where she conducts cutting-edge research on data science applications to development. With her extensive experience and expertise, Ms. Moore brings valuable insights to governments, companies, and NGOs looking to break down technology barriers and drive progress in the field of international development. Ms. Moore speaks on a wide range of topics related to international development, economic growth, and data science. Some specific areas of fo past engagements include: A keynote address at a conference on economic growth in Africa, where she shared her insights on the role of data science in driving economic performance in the region and discussed best practices for governments, companies, and NGOs looking to drive economic growth. As a guest speaker at a data science and development conference, Lindsey Moore shared her expertise on the use of data to improve agricultural productivity and protect the environment. She discussed specific examples of how DevelopMetrics has worked with governments and NGOs to harness the power of data science in these areas. Lindsey Moore was invited to give a speech at a public financial management symposium, where she discussed her experience in evaluating and improving the public financial management systems. She shared best practices and approaches to improve the effectiveness and accountability of public financial management systems. Lindsey Moore was a panelist at a women in leadership summit, where she shared her insights on her career journey as a female CEO in the field of data science and development. She discussed the challenges she faced and how she overcame them and provided guidance for women looking to pursue similar careers. Ms. Moore was a keynote speaker at an international development conference, where she discussed her experience as a foreign service officer at USAID and provided valuable insights on the challenges and opportunities facing developing countries. She discussed how to overcome barriers and drive progress in the field of development, and provided examples of successful development projects and programs.
Chief Executive Officer, Gates Ag One
As CEO of Gates Ag One, Joe sets a visionary and strategic course for our efforts to champion innovations and cultivate global networks that prioritize the needs of smallholder farmers. Joe began his career on a small, diversified family farm and has dedicated his professional life to improving the world through agricultural advancements. Most recently, he led efforts to strengthen agriculture’s adaptive capacity to climate change at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he served as a director for its Global Growth and Opportunity Division. Joe brings to our team more than 30 years’ experience developing and launching new product inventions and has led breakthrough life-science research at multiple organizations including the Advanced Research Projects Agency in the U.S. Department of Energy. Joe holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Science, as well as an MBA in Technology Entrepreneurship.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Psaltry International Company Ltd, Nigeria
Oluyemisi Iranloye is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Psaltry International Limited, a cassava processing company. She built the success of her business on an inclusive business model that places smallholder farmers at the center of operations. She finished her first degree in Food Biochemistry from the Federal University of Technology Minna in 1997 and completed her Master’s in Biochemistry and Nutrition from the University of Ibadan in the year 2000. She started as an entrepreneur formulating food for diabetic patients using wheat and making natural drinks. In 2001, she moved over to Ekha Agro Processing Ltd, a company that uses cassava to produce glucose syrup. She spearheaded the project and that was where she fell in love with the crop. she stayed with the company for 10 years and left to start Psaltry.
Chief Executive Officer, National Biosafety Authority, Kenya
Dr. Roy B. Mugiira joined the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) in August 2021 as the Director of Technical Services (DTS). Before that, he served as the acting CEO from 22nd February 2022.Previously, he served as the Director of Research, Ministry of Education. From February 2016 to January 2021, he worked as the Director of Scheduled Sciences at the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI). Before that, from November 2009 to August 2011, he worked as the acting Technical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) on deployment from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MoHEST). In the formative stages of NBA, he was involved in building organizational, institutional and human resource capacity for effectively enforcing the Biosafety Act, 2009. In terms of academic qualifications, Dr Mugiira holds a PhD in the diagnosis of plant viral infections based on the alignment of their DNA sequences. In addition, he has research experience in cloning viral DNA genomes into gene silencing vectors for application in functional genomics. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Plant Pathology and a Bachelor of Education Science Degree from Egerton University. With more than fifteen years of experience in science and technology, Dr Mugiira has played a key role in developing Kenya's Biotechnology Development Policy and the Biosafety regulatory framework for Genetically Modified Organisms. He is a member of the Royal Society of Biologists and the Biosafety Risk Assessment Panel of Experts for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. In addition, he has a broad experience in policy advisory for the governance of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) generally and Biotechnology Development specifically.
Member, Board of Trustees, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Emeritus Professor at the University of Aberdeen, UK
Professor Margaret (Maggie) Gill joined GALVmed’s board in 2017 and is the Chair of Impact, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisory Committee and a member of the HR Committee. She is an emeritus Professor in the School of Biology at Aberdeen University and a member of the Board of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. Maggie has had a varied career in agricultural sciences starting with research in ruminant nutrition before broadening her interests to the impact of agriculture on the environment and subsequently managing and advising on interdisciplinary research and a keen interest in global food systems. Her recent research publications include papers on the importance of livestock in global food security and mitigating the contribution of domestic livestock to greenhouse gas emissions. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2003, served as the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for Rural Affairs and the Environment from 2006 to 2011 and currently chairs the Scottish Science Advisory Council. She was awarded the OBE in 2011 for services to science. Margaret has a degree in Agricultural Science from Edinburgh University and a PhD in sheep nutrition from Massey University, New Zealand. She currently lives in rural Aberdeenshire.
Head of the TAAT Clearinghouse
Dr. Solomon Gizaw, is the Head of the TAAT Clearinghouse at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He is based in Cotonou, Benin Republic. Dr Gizaw has a long career with extensive experience in agricultural research and development at both national and international levels. He holds a B.Sc. from Haromaya University, Ethiopia, in Plant Sciences, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Breeding and Protection from George August University, Germany. From 2013 to 2021, he worked as Principal Scientist at ICARDA and leader for the wheat component within the AfDB-funded SARD-SC and TAAT Programmes implemented across Africa.
Through these Bank's supported initiatives, Dr. Gizaw has contributed to developing seed systems and especially introducing, adapting and widely deploying proven heat-tolerant wheat technologies that have impacted the lives of millions of smallholder farmers in several African countries. Dr. Gizaw was appointed as Director General of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization in 2007 and served for eight years. Between 1989 and 2005, Dr. Gizaw also served in various capacities - as Wheat Breeder, National Durum Wheat Coordinator, and Director of the Research Center. He is the former board chair of the Ethiopian Seed Enterprise and chair/vice chair of ASARECA. He has authored or co-authored over 70 scientific papers and received awards from various research, government, and private sector organizations.
Director, Digifarm
Seema is Director of Digifarm, leading the development of Safaricom’s AgTech platform to transform the lives of smallholder farmers and enable Kenya’s food systems. Previous to Digifarm, Seema was Agriculture Portfolio Lead for Acumen, investing in early-stage companies tackling food systems challenges across EA; with a specific focus on solutions that leverage technology across the value chain. Seema is an active mentor, startup advisor, and board member. Seema returned to Kenya, where she was born and raised, after 10+ years in NYC working in Investment Banking, MFI, and startups.
Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Nigeria
Prof Garba Hamidu Sharubutu is the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the 2nd Edition of the West and Central Africa Post Harvest Congress and Exhibition. He is a distinguished scholar and specialist in Infectious Diseases of Livestock and Veterinary Legislation. He is the incumbent Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria with the responsible to Coordinate, Supervise and Regulate Agricultural research, training and extension in Nigeria through the 18 National Agricultural Research Institutes, 11 Federal Colleges of Agriculture and 4 Federal Universities of Agriculture in the Country. He has vitalize wealth of experience which has been evidence since his youthful age. In 1986/87 he won the Presidential Award as the best Corps Member from Anambra State and a former Provost of Federal College of Agricultural Health and Production, Vom. He was the National President of Nigerian Veterinary and Medical Association and Member of Course 35, 2013 of NIFSS. His experience will be fully utilized to sheer the course of the Congress and Exhibition.
Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea Project, Nigeria
Prof. Ishiyaku is a Professor for Plant Breeding at the Department of Plant Science at the Institute for Agricultural Research Samaru, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. He is the Principal investigator of the pod borer resistance (PBR) cowpea project in Nigeria that successfully led to the release and commercialization of the first genetically modified cowpea in the world. Prof. Ishiyaku started his career as a Forest Research officer at the Bauchi State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Then he joine the services of the International Institute of Tropical agriculture where he worked as a Research Associate Cowpea Breeder for close to 8 years.
Coordinator of the TAAT Cassava Compact
Dr Abas Adebayo is the Coordinator of the TAAT Cassava Compact with footprints in 12 countries. He is a Postharvest Specialist with expertise in food processing, food loss prevention, value chain development, development of agro-industries, food quality management, and food standards. He obtained his PhD degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Before joining IITA in 1995, he had worked as a university lecturer and research scientist in Nigeria. At IITA, he joined a team of scientists that developed the famous high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) technology in the 1990s and disseminated the technology across Africa. He contributed to the development of the cassava value chain across Africa. He led many research-for-development projects in Eastern, West and Southern Africa, focusing on cassava value chain (CVC) research and postharvest management of maize. He led the Youth in Agriculture Programme of IITA in Tanzaniawith the responsibility of ensuring African youth have positive mindset change towards agriculture. Dr Abass serves as a member of technical committees of Standards Agencies of Tanzania and Nigeria for developing national standards for cassava products, and he contributed to the harmonization of East African standards for cassava products. He has also contributed to the training MSc and PhD students from many countries.
Founding Member, Orange County Produce, LLC, USA
A.G. Kawamura is a third generation produce grower and shipper from Orange County, California. From 2003 to 2010 he served as the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He is founding co-chair of Solutions from the Land (solutionsfromtheland.org), a nationally recognized non-profit that is developing innovative and sustainable climate smart collaborations for 21st century agriculture. He serves on multiple boards and advisory committees including the Farm Foundation Board; Western Growers Board and former Chair; Ag Advisory Committee for the Chicago Council; Bipartisan Policy Center, Ag & Forestry task force; Southern California Water Coalition, Executive Committee. For over 40 years Mr. Kawamura has pursued a lifelong goal to work towards an end to hunger and malnutrition. Locally, he is founding chair of Solutions For Urban Ag (SFUA.org). He has worked closely with Regional Food Banks and stakeholders to create exciting urban ag projects that focus on nutrition, hunger, education and advanced food systems. As a progressive farmer, Mr. Kawamura has a lifetime of experience working within the shrinking rural and urban boundaries of Southern California. A.G. graduated with a BA from UC Berkeley and was a member of Class XX of the Calif. Ag Leadership Program.
Chief Executive Officer, National Biosafety Management Agency, Nigeria
Dr. Rufus Ebegba Hails from Delta State, Married with children. He is the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency. He holds a B.Sc.(Agriculture), M.Sc.(Environmental Biology) and subsequently awarded a Ph.D (Biodiversity). He also attended various short courses in Administration, biodiversity Conservation, Biotechnology and Biosafety. He began his career working as Administrative Officer at the defunct Centre for Democratic Studies, Abuja 1990-1996. He moved to FEPA, where he worked as the Principal Environmental Scientist 1996-1999. He was later appointed Assistant Chief Environmental Scientist at the Federal Ministry of Environment 1999-2005; was Chief Environment Scientist 2005-2008; Assistant Director 2008-2012; and Deputy Director 2012-2015 before being appointed the Director General/CEO of the National Biosafety Management Agency. He has over 27 years of working experience in the areas of Administration, Biosafety Management, Biodiversity Conservation and sustainable utilization of renewable natural recourses, Strategic planning in Biosafety and Biodiversity. Currently, he is also the National Project Coordinator, UNEP-GEF National Biosafety Framework Implementation Project in Nigeria; the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety National Focal Point for Nigeria; a member of the Expert Committee of West African Biosafety Regulation and a former member of the Ad-hoc Technical Expert Group on Biosafety Risk Assessment and Risk Management of the Convention on Biological Diversity of the United Nations.. He has special Competence in the following fields: Administration, Biosafety Regulation(Risk Assessment/Management,) and policy BCH Administration Biodiversity Conservation (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan , Wetlands Conservation, Bio-prospecting Environmental Impact Assessment Economic Value of Natural Resources Natural Resources Development and Utilization. Expert in development and implementation of Projects. Community leadership Dr. Ebegba was involved in the development of Nigeria National Biotechnology Policy, Nigeria National Biosafety Framework(Biosafety Policy and Policy) under the UNEP/GEF Development of National Biosafety Framework Project; the Nigeria National Biosafety Risk Assessment Analysis Framework; the Nigeria National Biosafety Application Management guidelines, Draft National Biosafety Regulations, National Biosafety Containment Guidelines, National Biosafety Communication Strategy and the last edition of the Nigeria Biosafety Guidelines, to name a few. Dr. Ebegba has participated in organizing and attended many workshops and meetings. He has worked closely with the UN and African Union Biodiversity, biosafety systems and Program for Biosafety systems. He has over 100 Various Publication on Biosafety, Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Management. He has travelled widely internationally. He has received awards for hard work and service to humanity.
Senior Director Government Relations and Policy, One Acre Fund
Michelle Kagari is a lawyer and International Development practitioner, with a passion for social justice and empowering people. She has spent the last two decades of her career advocating for more inclusive and responsive governments to help people realize their full capabilities. In particular, she advocates for inclusion of underrepresented voices in governance and policy development, and on growing leaders in the social justice space. She is currently the Director for Government Relations and Policy at One Acre Fund (OAF), a non-profit Agriculture Service Provider assisting over One Million of Africa’s smallholder farmers to dramatically improve their incomes. Michelle leads OAF’s collaborative approach to working with governments to achieve food security and sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers to make them more prosperous.
Head of Missions & Chief Executive Officer, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)
Dr. Tshilidzi Madzivhandila is an experienced applied research, policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, policy advocacy specialist in food systems, agriculture, and natural recourses (FANR). He has more than 20 years working experience, with six (6) of these being at an executive management level. Tshilidzi holds a PhD Degree in Economics – specializing in public policies and programmes evaluation. Currently he is the Chief and Executive Officer (CEO) and Head of Mission of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network’s (FANRPAN). FANRPAN is a pan-African organization which promotes the dissemination of policy research results across Africa, and to act as a platform for engagement of all FANR stakeholders. He is also a researcher whose focus and development work is through multi-disciplinary and multi-country teams across Africa. Notably, Tshilidzi is a member of the South African Government 3rd National Planning Commission to give guidance on the implementation of the 2030 National Development Plan. He is also a Guest Editor of the Sustainable Food Systems - Nutrition and Sustainable Diets Journal Research Topic article collection on Smart Food for Healthy, Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems.
Country Manager - Kenya, OCP Africa
Karimi Thuranira is the Country Manager, Kenya for OCP Africa. She is an experienced Marketing and Project Management professional with demonstrated record of leading business growth in upstream and downstream market development. She has over 15 years experience across diverse sectors with proven track record of influencing innovative business and project models. Her experience spans within private and public sector, foundations and international organizations at management levels across Sub-Saharan Africa and is recognized for contributions. Karimi Thuranira holds a Bachelor’s degree in Project Planning and Management, Masters in International Studies from the University of Nairobi and is currently a PHD candidate. Her specialties are: Strategic Management, Organizational development, Partnerships, Branding, Marketing, Corporate Communications, Project Design and Implementation.
Team Leader, African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES), Kenya
Dr George Wamukoya is a team leader of AGNES, and lead negotiator on agriculture. Currently, under the GIZ-CAADP Support Programme of the AU/NEPAD, Dr Wamukoya leads the team to support 12 African countries to access climate finance from the Green Climate Fund and other sources.Dr Wamukoya assisted in the establishment of the Climate Change Unit at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, where he served as the climate advisor for over 6 years (2009 – 2016).
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Epicenter Africa, Kenya
Mary is an experienced Engineer with over 20years working in design and implementation of Water pumping, Solar power and Water treatment projects in the Eastern Africa region. She has led technology development and introduction of Solar power solutions for water pumping and water treatment for off-grid communities in Kenya and the region, providing suitability to water infrastructure. She is passionate about providing access to clean water and affordable power to schools and communities in rural Africa, and is keen to build partnerships for greater impact. Mary is the Founder and Chief Executive of Epicenter Africa Ltd, an Engineering company dealing with design and construction of Water and Solar Power infrastructure in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djubouti and Tanzania.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Agritecture, USA
Henry helps clients identify and focus their goals, prepares consulting proposals, and develops winning urban agriculture concepts and strategies. Henry is an acknowledged global thought leader in the accelerating vertical and urban agriculture industry and has facilitated, moderated and spoken at sustainability-driven forums and events worldwide. His engaging, dynamic speaking style stems from his over 8 years of experience consulting and spearheading numerous environmental and sustainability initiatives. Henry’s insight adds value to any organization seeking to explore the intersection of sustainability, urban agriculture and technology. Henry holds a BA in Political Science, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. He has visited urban farms in 5 continents and worked on community and for profit urban farms. Henry serves as an advisor to multiple AgTech startups and is on the board of the non-profit organization Teens for Food Justice.
Chief Executive Officer, Agri Innovation Hub, Kenya
Agri Innovation Hub was founded in 2019 by Hazel Awino, a 4th year student at Kenyatta University with the aim of highlighting agricultural innovations done by the youth but never see the light of day. As time went by we realized that the potato value chain is one of the largest with over 800,000 farmers but with no structure so we thought of streamlining the potato value chain which has remained unstructured for a long time to the disadvantage of the farmer. This prompted her to came up with an App that provides solution by bringing all stakeholders together. This include farmers, soil testers, farm input providers, agronomists, weather forecasters, farm machinery providers, financiers, transporters, potato bulk buyers etc. The App, Agri Hub Soko has won various awards including Code Hack 2020 sponsored by Pwani Tekno Galz and Vijana Na Agribiz by Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC).
Chief Executive Officer, Replenish Farms, Kenya
Patience Koku is the chief executive officer of Replenish Farms, which produces rice, soya, maize, vegetables and seed in Nigeria. A former fashion entrepreneur, Patience took up farming in pursuit of a more meaningful occupation. She is a global advocate for smallholder farmers and access to improved seeds. Patience is also the Alliance for Science 2018 Farmer of the Year.
Deputy CEO and Director, Agribusiness Services
Joseph is an Oxford University trained agribusiness development consultant with over 40 years of continuous engagement in supporting rural-based, economic development investments structured as entrepreneur SMEs, Cooperative SMEs, Farmer based SMEs or Shareholder owned SMEs. Joseph has held senior leadership positions with leading agribusiness development organizations. As Deputy CEO and Lead Agribusiness Specialist in AFAP, Joseph has oversighted agribusiness development program across Africa in eastern southern and western African.
In the last twelve years, specialized in the Hub-Agro-dealer development model having conceptualized the very first version of the “Hub and Spoke” model as part of the AGMARK/AGRA team in 2010. This has evolved into the Africa-wide Hub agro-dealer model currently adopted as a viable growth model for efficient and sustainable delivery of agricultural inputs to smallholders in Africa. Joseph has progressively engaged with Hub agro-dealer development to integrate into the model capacity building modules, agro-input trade credit facilitation, risk assessment/monitoring tools and smallholder output aggregation and marketing.
Founder, Nutrition Conversations Africa, Nigeria
Yewande Kazeem’s passion for inquisitive questioning, creative visuals, storytelling and her vast experience in the agriculture sector allowed her to create Wandieville Media, a communication and educative media company she founded to provide a positive impact on global development issues through campaigns, powerful visual and captivating stories. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, she has also worked closely with Central Bank of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, World Bank, the International Finance Cooperation and Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade and Investment and Central Bank. Yewande is passionate about impacting smallholder farmers, women farmers and school planting programs as well as supporting the research and technology that will be needed to feed nine billion people by 2050.
Head (Ag) of Agriculture, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, Zimbabwe
An accomplished agri-food systems and climate change expert with more than 22 years’ continental and international experience. Passionate about Africa’s agricultural transformation, and building resilient, prosperous communities. Meticulous researcher, writer, analyst, strategic thinker and mentor. Dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate about Africa’s future and opportunities for its young people. Proactive with a focus on inclusive solutions and wealth creation.
Managing Director, Agridrive Limited and Agribusiness Development Manager, Cassava Mechanisation & Agro-processing Project, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
George Marechera holds an MBA from Wolverhampton University, UK, a Bsc Honours degree from University of Zimbabwe and several professional management qualifications. Before joining AATF he worked as General Manager for Saltlakes Holdings (Zimbabwe) spearheading tobacco contract farming which targeted smallholder farmers; Makita Manufacturing (UK) as General Manager responsible for operations; Simmonsigns Pvt Ltd (UK) as a General Manager, where he was involved in business management, strategy and human resources management; the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement in Zimbabwe as an Economist and later as a Senior Economist responsible for project administration and finance directly involved in the management of agricultural projects funded by the Government and donors including European Union, World Bank, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and Japanese Aid. By the time he left the Ministry, he was the Executive Assistant to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry responsible for change management, commercialisation and subcontracting initiatives. During his tenure at the Ministry, he also worked as a part time lecturer in economics and business management. George has worked in the agricultural industry and has wide experience in project and agri-business management, business strategy, business consultancy, marketing management, change management, economic development and regeneration. He has proven leadership skills in managing, developing and motivating teams. As Agri-business Specialist, George is responsible for co-ordinating and facilitating business initiatives between the AATF, agro-industry, smallholder farmers and all stakeholders in the agricultural industry to ensure appropriate knowledge is disseminated for effective and efficient service delivery. George Marechera is a Zimbabwean national.
Lead Scientist and Agronomist of Bharat Bio East Africa
Dr. Winnie Kimutai, currently the Lead Scientist and Agronomist of Bharat Bio East Africa, a company with a mandate to revolutionize farming by encouraging reduced use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Am also a consultant with the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate (Kephis) in charge of carrying out and licensing organic products in Kenya. Am passionate about farming, particularly regenerative agriculture, and thus pursued an education in Crop Protection and Agronomy.
Founder, Mkulima Young
Joseph is a distinguished interdisciplinary research fellow and social entrepreneur with an extensive background spanning over 15 years in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship. His experience is globally diverse, covering regions such as Africa, Australia, and the Pacific. Joseph holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Agricultural Science and earned his PhD from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). His doctoral research focused on exploring the impact of digital technologies on agricultural entrepreneurship. Situated at the crossroads of entrepreneurship, agriculture, and digital technologies, Joseph's research has garnered considerable acclaim. His scholarly contributions have been published in high-impact journals and book chapters and featured at national and international conferences. In addition to his academic pursuits, Joseph founded an award-winning e-commerce platform specifically designed for farmers. This venture has earned him multiple accolades, recognizing his significant contributions to research and development. Joseph serves as a research fellow at QUT, where he continues to teach and conduct research, further solidifying his standing as a thought leader in his areas of expertise.
Senior Advisor, Food and Nutrition Security, AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa
Boitshepo Bibi Giyose is a Senior Nutrition Officer for Policy and Programmes in the Nutrition and Food Systems Division at FAO, but currently on secondment to the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) as special advisor to the CEO since January 2018. Her work focuses on integrating and mainstreaming nutrition into agriculture and related development agendas, and to promote a multisector approach for addressing all forms of malnutrition. She holds a MS in International Nutrition from Cornell University, NY. and a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics from Appalachian State University, USA. Ms. Giyose was awarded a “Distinguished Alumna Award” in recognition of exceptional professional achievement by Appalachian State University in 2007. She was also named Senior Policy Scholar in 2011 by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation – USA - for her work on Home Grown School Feeding. She has served on numerous international scientific technical and policy advisory committees.
Chairman of the Board in the Food & Beverages Sector at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers
Joseph Choge, Chairman of the Board in the Food & Beverages Sector at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, is a results-driven executive with over 15 years of experience spanning telecoms, banking, insurance, and FMCG across Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa. A CPA (K) and Chartered Marketer (CIM), Joseph is renowned for turning around businesses, notably transforming the Uganda branch of Telecoms Industrial Promotion Services from a $10 million annual loss to profitability within a year. As the CEO of Premier Foods Industries, he achieved double-digit profits within a year. Recognized in 2018 as one of Kenya's Top 40 under 40 for outstanding corporate leadership by The Business Daily, Joseph is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Beyond his corporate prowess, he enjoys the open road on his 1000cc BMW motorbike.
Founder, Sweetunda
Molly Abende is an award winning food scientist with over 5 years experience in the food industry. She is a leader who is passionate about business and sustainable food systems particularly: reduction in food loss & food waste, food safety and value addition. She is the Founder of Sweetunda, now Burton and Bamber, an agro-processing company with a vision to create income for farmers and reduce food loss. The company takes fruit, and processes (by dehydration) to produce Sweetunda – wonderful Kenyan dried mango (and other fruits) created from food that was previously wasted. She currently serves as the Production and QA Manager at Burton and Bamber Co Ltd.
Chief Executive Officer, Cereal Growers Association, Kenya
Anthony Kioko is an East Africa Agribusiness expert with 20 years’ experience managing public – private sector engagement initiatives. An agronomist by training, his previous management positions were at Oil Crop Development Ltd (Unilever Kenya Ltd subsidiary then), East African Breweries Ltd (a Diageo Plc Company). He was a beneficiary of the 2017 USDA FAS Cochran Fellowship Program, on Agricultural Extension and Farmer Leadership. Anthony serves on several boards including the Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK), Agriculture Industry Network (AIN) and is a Council Member of the Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET). Anthony is also a member of several Technical Working Groups in the Agriculture Sector including the Joint Thematic Working Group of the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Fisheries and Cooperatives (MOALF&C) and ASNET.
Chief of Staff & Head of Partnerships at Kenya National Farmers' Federation (KENAFF)
Ms. Awuor is a sustainable development professional, currently serving as Chief of Staff & Head of Partnerships at Kenya National Farmers' Federation (KENAFF). She has a wealth of experience in resource mobilization for locally-led approaches to community and organizational development work, partnerships building, and implementing strategies specializing in the areas of sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems, environmental conservation as well as climate action, food security, and human health nexus.
Ms. Awuor has over 8 years of experience as a researcher and over 3 years experience as an educator. She is a Doctoral Researcher in Environmental and Occupational Health at Egerton University, with research interests on aflatoxins exposure among smallholder farmer households, and has a background in Environmental Science. She is an alumnus of the 2022 Young Women Leadership on Climate Adaptation Executive Training Program organized by the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens and a 2019 Orange Knowledge Programme fellow on Global One Health; Towards humans, plants, and animal health; Wageningen University.
She serves on the Advisory Group Member; Meaningful Participation of Women in UNFCCC Negotiations, and chairs the Thematic Working Group on Access and Benefits Sharing and Traditional Knowledge on Agrobiodiversity and Agroecology in Kenya.
Director of Programmes and Commercialisation African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
Emmanuel Okogbenin, a well-trained scientist in plant breeding, genetics, and genomics with good background in agronomy, and physiology, has experience spanning over 23 years working in and leading several research projects in cassava at both international agricultural research (IAR) centres and national agricultural research institutes (NARS). He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics/Plant Breeding from the University of Ibadan. He conducted his thesis research as a Rockefeller fellow with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) Colombia. Emmanuel holds M.Sc. in Agronomy and B.Sc. in Agriculture (Crop Science) degrees from the same university. As part of his PhD programme, he took courses in statistical genetics at the North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Emmanuel, a pioneer scientist in cassava biotechnology research, led the CIAT team in QTL mapping studies on the crop. As a cassava breeder/geneticist at CIAT, he led the Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) initiative for cassava mosaic disease (CMD) resistance resulting in the release of the first CMD resistant Latin American cassava varieties in Africa. He coordinated the activities of the CIAT Genetics Unit as part of his last duties in Colombia. Emmanuel has in the last few years pioneered Marker-Assisted Recurrent Selection (MARS) for drought tolerance and improved productivity of cassava in marginal drought prone ecologies in Africa, in addition to leading the cassava breeding community of practice in SSA under the platform of the CGIAR-Generation Challenge Programme (GCP). In the course of his career he has worked for IITA, Nigeria; CIAT, Colombia; NRCRI, Nigeria; CGIAR-GCP and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Nigeria. In the FMARD, he was a member of the ministerial core team for the cassava transformation agenda of the Federal Government of Nigeria. He has been a consultant and collaborator with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre, USA on international projects in Africa. Emmanuel’s publications include journal articles, book chapters and conference papers presented at international and national meetings. As the Director of Programme Development and Commercialization (PDC), Emmanuel identifies opportunities for agricultural technology interventions, assesses the feasibility and probability of success of project concepts, identifies sources of appropriate technologies, negotiates their access and deployment, and provides overall leadership in the implementation of AATF’s project portfolio. Emmanuel is a national of Nigeria.
Senior Programme Specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Ms. Edidah Lubega Ampaire is a Social Science Researcher working with IDRC’s Climate Resilient Food Systems Division, leading work on gender equality and social inclusion. She is passionate about research for development work around gender equality and inclusive policy and in translating knowledge to influence policy change and to benefit vulnerable end-users especially women and girls. Before Joining IDRC, Edidah worked at the CGIAR, researching on gender in agricultural policy, climate change adaptation and farmer-based organizations. Edidah holds a PhD in Rural Development from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, an MSc. in Agricultural Extension Education, and a BSc. in Agriculture from Makerere University, Uganda.
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
Francis Nang’ayo, an Applied Ecologist and leading expert on biosafety and regulatory affairs, holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Biological Sciences (University of Nairobi, Kenya), an M.Sc. degree in Environmental Biology (University of Guelph, Canada) and a Ph.D. degree in Applied Ecology (Imperial College, University of London). Additionally, he holds a postgraduate diploma in Crop Protection from Imperial College, London. His career as a scientist begun at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) where he worked for close to 20 years rising through the ranks of Research Officer, Senior Research Officer, Principal Research Officer and Deputy Director of the Biotechnology Research Centre in Nairobi. He was later appointed General Manager in charge of Phytosanitary Services, Biosafety, and Quarantine Affairs at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) before progressing to his current appointment at AATF of Senior Manager and Head of Regulatory Affairs in 2005. He is responsible for securing regulatory approval authorisations for testing and deployment of agricultural technologies including ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements of target countries for AATF projects. Francis is a member of many professional societies including the Entomological Society of Kenya (ESK); the African Crop Science Society, the African Association of Insect Scientists (AAIS), the Public Research and Regulation Forum, the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Expert Panel on Biotechnology and Biosafety, to name a few. Previously, Francis served as Member of the Kenya Standing Technical Committee on Imports and Exports (KSTCIE), the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) of Kenya, Institutional Biosafety Committee of KALRO and the Executive Committee of the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council of the African Union (IAPSAC). Francis has authored many publications. He has participated as a panelist on many TV talk shows on the safe utilisation of modern biotechnology and delivered several presentations on the same topic including Key Note addresses at professional, university and industry meetings at international and regional levels. Francis is a Kenyan.
Co-Leader, Animal and Human Health Program
Hung Nguyen (full name Hung Nguyen-Viet) is the co-leader of Animal and Human Health Program at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the lead of the CGIAR initiative on One Health. His current research focuses on the link between health and agriculture, food safety, and infectious and zoonotic diseases with an emphasis on the use of risk assessment for food safety management with an integrative approach (One Health and Ecohealth). He was the ILRI regional representative for East and Southeast Asia, the flagship leader of food safety of the CGIAR research program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) and the chair of the working group Integrating a One Health Approach to COVID-19 Response at the CGIAR COVID-19 Hub. He was also a WHO expert to study the SARS-CoV-2 origins in Wuhan, China in 2021 and is a member of the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO).
Prior to joining ILRI, he co-founded and led the Center for Public Health and Ecosystem Research (CENPHER) at Hanoi University of Public Health, Vietnam where he developed a regional research portfolio on agri- and environmental health and coordinated the Ecohealth Field Building Leadership Initiative (FBLI) in Southeast Asia. He worked for Swiss Tropical and Public Health institute (SwissTPH) and Sandec/Eawag in Switzerland as a postdoctoral researcher in Microbiology, Health, and Environment within the Swiss NCCR North-South.
He has experience working in Asia, Africa and Europe and holds a PhD in Life and Environmental Sciences from France.
Deputy Director, Research and Innovation CABI.
Dr. Daniel Karanja is the Deputy Director for Research and Innovation at CABI Africa Regional Centre. At CABI, Dr Karanja is responsible for overseeing the management of Research and Innovation under International Development initiatives across Africa. This includes supporting the development, implementation and growth of CABI’s International Development strategic vision in the continent. In addition, Dr. Karanja is responsible for the implementation of strategies to strengthen partners relationships, improve business practices and drive profitable growth at CABI Africa.
Dr. Karanja is a Plant Pathologist with over 20 years’ experience in applied research including cross cutting issues related to social and economic diffusion. His rich experience has contributed significantly to the utilisation of scientific and technical agricultural knowledge particularly by women and youth, to enhance resilience, boost household incomes and enhance nutrition security in developing countries.
Dr. Karanja holds a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Reading UK, MPhil in Plant Pathology from Moi University and BSc from Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Techno (JKUAT).
Project Manager, TELA Maize Project, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
Dr Sylvester O. Oikeh has more than 30 years of interdisciplinary experience in research-for-development projects covering project formulation, project and partnership management, natural resources management, crop improvement and deployment, and plant nutrition. He joined the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) since 2009 as a Project Manager for the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project (now TELA Maize Project) and coordinates the operational management and monitors the implementation of activities across ten public and private sector organizations in seven African countries. He worked in Africa Rice Centre for five years as a Principal Scientist/Soil-Fertility Agronomist and Project Leader. He developed four integrated soil fertility management packages and two farmer handbooks to support the deployment of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA). He also held various positions at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for over ten years. Further, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, where he established for the first time, the link between enhanced iron and zinc in maize grains with improvement in human nutrition using an in vitro technique (model gut-system). Dr Oikeh has over 90 publications in major scientific journals, proceedings, book chapters, books and monographs.
Regional Representative, Anglophone Africa, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
Project Manager, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya
Vitumbiko Chinoko holds a Bachelor of Education – Science (BEd.Sc) (Spatial Development and Physical Geography), from Chancellor College of the University of Malawi and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with majors in Corporate Strategy and International Business from the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA), in Durban, South Africa. He is an accomplished rural development specialist, campaigner and advocate with over 10 years of working with communities on climate adaptation and mitigation and influencing global, regional and national policy and practice on climate change and sustainable socio-economic development. While at Christian Aid, he commissioned the country’s inaugural budget analysis on climate change to determine Government of Malawi’s commitment to climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. The report was instrumental in raising awareness on climate change and facilitated evidence-based engagement with Members of Parliament (MPs), the Executive and technocrats on the need increase investment in climate change through the national budget. He previously, worked with ACT Alliance, where he coordinated an international climate change policy influencing strategy and designed and implemented a global campaign to influence a pro-poor outcome on climate change adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance and emissions reductions from the historic the Paris Climate Conference in 2015. Before joining AATF Vitumbiko worked for CARE USA, where he coordinated a CARE USA investment opportunity; Impact Growth Strategy (IGS), an advocacy and influencing programme for Southern Africa on Food Security, Nutrition and Climate Change. At CARE USA, Vitumbiko developed a Pan-African Advocacy and Influencing Strategy that focused at influencing Governments to implement the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth And Transformation for Shared Prosperity And Improved Livelihoods’s Commitments on Food Security, Nutrition and Climate Change as expressed in their respective National Agriculture Investments Plans (NAIPs). He facilitated the establishment of East and Southern Africa CSO SUN Network and coordinated the development of the first ever Nutrition Investment Report by 9 selected Governments in East and Southern Africa. He also established the Southern Africa Climate Smart Alliance (SACSA) under the Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (ACSAA). Vitumbiko is a member of CAADP Non-State Actors Coalition (CNC), a CSO platform that coordinates all advocacy and influencing on CAADP to the African Union (AU)/NEPAD. In CNC Vitumbiko co-chairs the Food Security Technical Working Group. He is a CSO member of the High Level Panel of InsuResilience Global Partnership (IGP) where he co-chairs the Gender Working Group with the Government of Canada. Vitumbiko is an experienced climate change negotiator and has supported the Malawi Government Delegation to the UNFCCC to negotiate Agriculture, Climate Finance, adaptation and loss and damage at the UNFCCC since 2012. Vitumbiko is Malawian.
Executive Director, CCARDESA
Dr Cliff Sibusiso Dlamini has been the Executive Director of CCARDESA since 2020. Until his new appointment, Dr Dlamini was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Eswatini National Trust Commission where he guided the Trust in all areas and led the development of departmental strategic plans, the corporate strategic plan and the resource mobilization strategy. Before this, he worked as Assistant Forestry Officer with the then Forestry Section in the Ministry of Agriculture in Eswatini where he developed the national forestry research programme. He also worked as Parks Manager with the then Parks Section in the Municipal Council of Mbabane (Eswatini) where he developed and implemented several programmes.
At an international level, he worked as Livelihoods and Food Security Technical Advisor at World Vision International, where he developed and implemented the livelihoods and food security strategies. Before spreading his wings in the multi-sectoral field, he worked as a Research Fellow in Agronomy with the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) where he developed and implemented the agronomy programme at Swaziland Institute for Research in Traditional Medicine and Indigenous Food Plants(SIRMIP). He also worked as a Manager of The Table Mountain Fund at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, leading an overall programme portfolio of 66 projects. He also worked as a Research Fellow leading the Climate Change and Natural Resources Management programme at the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI) in Zambia where he spearheaded the new climate change and natural resources thematic area.
Despite his elaborate career path, Dr Dlamini holds a PhD in Forestry from the University of Stellenbosch. Besides his PhD, Dr Dlamini holds five other degrees in various disciplines and is currently pursuing his 7th degree (M.Sc. in Sustainable Development) with the University of London.
He is an affiliated researcher with the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa with a trail of successful Master’s students who have graduated under his supervision. Previously, he was an affiliated researcher with the University of the Free State in South Africa where he produced similar results. Dr Dlamini has published peer-reviewed papers, books, and training manuals. He has also published a series of scientific papers in areas of sustainable agriculture, forest science, forestry, natural resources management and climate change, development finance, and environmental law at local, regional and international levels.
Director, Policy Research and Analysis, FANRPAN Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Sithembile coordinates climate-smart agriculture policy research and advocacy projects at Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN). Her work focuses on enhancing the research to policy and practice interface to help raise investment and policy support for climate-smart agriculture. She manages a program portfolio that includes projects on Irrigation Water Management, Post-harvest Management, and Climate Smart Resilient Agriculture.
Seeds Production Manager, African Agricultural Technology Foundation
Munyaradzi Jonga is an agronomist and seed production specialist with vast experience in agriculture and the seed sector, and a passion for seed sector development and management. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in Crop Science as well as an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe. He has a Diploma in Marketing, Research Methods for Agronomists and has undertaken a Management Development course at the University of Cape Town as well as various courses on quality assurance and auditing of quality management systems. Munyaradzi got agricultural research and extension experience working in the fertiliser, crop chemicals and seed industries, where he gained understanding of various farming systems both in the smallholder and large scale farming sectors. He has worked as a Gazetted Seed Inspector, Seed Production & Quality Assurance Manager and Operations Manager for Seed Co Ltd. These appointments allowed Munyaradzi to participate in critical panels, committees, associations and seed systems networks dealing with seed production development and administration in Zimbabwe, Eastern and Southern Africa. Munyaradzi has contributed to agriculture and seed sector development through training of seed growers and seed industry personnel during formal workshop presentations and field training in east and southern African. During his tenure at Seed Co Ltd, he developed a practical seed production manual – “Maize Seed Production Manual 2002” – to assist upcoming seed growers and seed production personnel and supervised many internship students from various colleges and universities. Munyaradzi is a national of Zimbabwe.
Co-Founder, Palmhouse Dairies Limited
Margaret Munene is an entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist with over 20 years of experience in Kenya’s Dairy industry. Margaret is the co-founder of Palmhouse Dairies, a milk processing plant based in Githunguri Kenya that processes 5000 liters of milk daily. Palmhouse was set up in 1996 in response to the liberalization of the Kenyan milk sector.
As a philanthropist, Margaret Munene is a founding trustee of the Palmhouse Foundation, a Kenyan education trust that finances the secondary education of needy and deserving students and mentors them through life, to impact positively on society. She is also an active member or Rotary International; Rotary is a global service organization that provides humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and advances goodwill and peace around the world. She has served as a president of the Rotary Club of Karura and is an incoming 2017/18 Assistant Governor for Rotary District 9212, which comprises of Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan. Margaret is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of HEART Africa - a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering the people of Africa to survive the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2011, Margaret received the ‘Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS)’ award from the President of Kenya for her service to the community.
Margaret holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi and a Masters in crop protection from Bath University. She is an active member of Ridgeways Baptist Church, lives in Nairobi with her husband and has three grown up children.
Senior Agriculture Officer, Ministry of Agriculture in the Environment Management Unit
Kamwesige Mtembei is the Senior Agriculture Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Environment Management Unit. He has worked on climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the agriculture sector for more than 10 years, he is a member of the National Climate Change Technical Committee of Tanzania and the National Greenhouse Gases Inventory Team of Experts. He is the National Agroecology Coalition's Focal point and has worked in a number of technical teams on increasing resilience to food systems and conservation of ecosystems.
Program Project Manager, African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Zimbabwe
Elizabeth Gulugulu is a strong advocate for indigenous solutions to indigenous environmental problems. She is an MSc candidate in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture with a BSc in Environmental Science. She is the Project Manager for African Youth Initiative on Climate Change in Zimbabwe (AYICCZim) She is highly experienced in youth mobilization for Climate Smart Agriculture activism and research in sustainable agricultural solutions. Elizabeth Gulugulu has participated in two United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn Germany COP 23, Madrid Spain COP25, a Green ticket winner to the Climate Action Summit in New York 2019 and has spoken on high-level fora and moderated different sessions at UNFCCC conferences, and other International and National conferences. She has an interest in sustainable farming, building resilient communities, Climate action, youth empowerment, and women empowerment through advocating for sustainable projects and renewable energy use.
Director of Data Management, Digital Products and Technology at AKADEMIYA2063
Dr. Racine Ly is the Director of Data Management, Digital Products and Technology at AKADEMIYA2063. He is a 2018 Obama Leaders Africa program fellow, and holds a Master's degree in Mathematical Modeling and Multi-Scale Simulation through a joint degree program between the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Paris) and the Paris-Est Marne-La-Vallée University. He subsequently earned a doctoral degree in engineering sciences applied to space transportation systems through the French Space Agency and the University of Bordeaux.
Associate Professor of Horticulture at the University of Nairobi
Prof. Jane Ambuko is an Associate Professor of Horticulture at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She holds a BSc in Agriculture, MSc in Horticulture from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences (Pomology and Postharvest Major) from Tsukuba University, Japan. Her area of specialization is Postharvest Management in perishable food crops. Her research, training and outreach initiatives focus food loss and waste reduction through application of innovative technologies for postharvest quality preservation and small-scale processing. Prof. Ambuko works closely with smallholder farmers in outreach programs to disseminate knowledge on good postharvest handling practices and technologies to reduce postharvest losses.
She is a champion for food loss and waste reduction towards food and nutrition security in sustainable food systems.
Capacity Development Lead, Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa)
Kenneth Mubea, PhD is the Capacity Development Lead, Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa). Kenneth's role includes technical support and user engagement and support, driving usage of the DE Africa services and engaging with the DE Africa network of partners across Africa. Kenneth has previously worked with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD, UN Foundation), and SERVIR Eastern Africa (NASA - USAID initiative). Kenneth sees that a time has come that earth observation will be the critical means for decision making for countries and regional bodies towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaving no one behind.
IGNITE Deputy Team Leader
Dr. Catherine Macharia-Mutie is a development professional with over 10 years of experience in public health nutrition and currently the Deputy Team Leader for the Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture (IGNITE) program based in Kenya.
As a seasoned and compassionate nutrition expert, Catherine has managed complex programs and projects in nutrition (for both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive focus) and food systems spanning across countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso). She also has extensive monitoring and evaluation experience and have contributed to internationally renowned peer reviewed nutrition publications and conferences.
Catherine has worked extensively with academia, government, and international NGOs. She has previously held various roles with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Kenya Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. She has also taught both bachelors and masters nutrition students at the University of Nairobi, Moi and Kenyatta in Kenya. She holds a PhD (Human Nutrition) from Wageningen University, Netherlands, and MSc (Applied Human Nutrition) and BA (Anthropology) from University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Principal Programme Officer, African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD)
Dr Silas Obukosia is the Principal Programme Officer, African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Africa Biosafety Network of Expertise and a Coordinator of AUDA-NEPAD Regional Office for Eastern Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. He previously served as Principal Programme Officer, AUDA-NEPAD Africa Biosafety Network of Expertise and a Coordinator of AUDA-NEPAD Kampala, Uganda. Prior to joining AUDA-NEPAD, Dr Obukosia was the Director of Regulatory Affairs with Africa Harvest International Biotechnology Foundation and has also worked for 5 years as an Agricultural Biotechnology Advisor with the USAID/Kenya.
Dr Obukosia has actively been involved in capacity building activities in biosafety among Africa Union states while working with AUDA-NEPAD and has also spearheaded various grants and research activities. He has published several scientific journals including: Elevated vitamin E content improves all-trans B-carotene accumulation and stability in biofortified sorghum; The Population Structure of Wild Sorghum Species in Agro-Ecological Zones of Western Kenya; Evaluation of relative competitive ability of S. bicolor X S. halepense and S. bicolor X S. sudanense hybrids, “The importance of dietary protein in Human Health: Combating Protein Deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa through Transgenic Biofortifed Sorghum”, among others.
He holds a Ph.D in Molecular Genetics from Pennsylvania State University (USA); a Master of Science in Genetics and Plant Breeding; and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, both from the University of Nairobi, Kenya where he was also a Senior Lecturer and taught for 15 years in the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences and supervised several thesis at MSc and Ph.D level.
Country Representative, Kenya Tanager
Maureen Munjua is a private sector development professional with over 10 years of experience working with multi-stakeholders in the agriculture sector in Kenya and the East African region. Prior to joining Tanager, Maureen managed a diverse network of actors including development partners, the private sector, farmer organizations, government, and research and academia by facilitating co-creation, linkages, and learning among key stakeholders in the agri-food sector in Kenya. Maureen has also worked on facilitating trade and investment promotion between African companies in the East African region and Europe. She holds an MBA in International Business Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Chemistry from The University of Nairobi.
Director, Seeds & Traits Business Development for LMICs, Bayer Crop Science
Mark Edge is the Director of Seeds & Traits Business Development for LMICs, Bayer Crop Science. He is experienced in bridging between research and commercial to bring new technologies in agriculture to the market successfully. He has excellent people management skills with many examples of leading a diverse team through very challenging projects and achieving success. He aims to continue to introduce new innovative technologies that help farmers around the globe produce more healthy food sustainably.
Director of Data and Insights, DevelopMetrics
Allegra Piazza, Director of Data and Insights at DevelopMetrics, is an international
development specialist with a strong focus on sustainability and agriculture technology.
Beyond her expertise in these areas, she holds a rich and comprehensive
understanding spanning food security, resilience, early warning systems for agriculture, digital advancement, WASH initiatives, private sector engagement, and education. At DevelopMetrics, Ms. Piazza's primary role is to leverage AI to improve development and humanitarian outcomes through the examination of insights derived from past
evidence, while also reinforcing open and inclusive digital ecosystems.
In her prior role as a Forensic Analyst at Deloitte, Ms. Piazza was actively involved in the examination and interpretation of substantial datasets, which greatly enriched her comprehension of statistical analysis. She also collaborated with a well-known consumer brand, dissecting metadata from social media to offer insights that played a pivotal role in shaping Danone's sales and customer acquisition strategies. Ms. Piazza holds a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability from ICTA-UAB, specializing in Ecological Economics. Furthermore, she earned her bachelor's degree in Business Sciences and Management from UPF.
Director of Research and Postgraduate Studies, University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
Dr Martin Ongol holds aPhD in Applied Biocience from Hokkaido University Japan. Currently he is the Director of Research and Postgraduate Studies, University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. Dr Ongol also serves on the Governing Counci for: National Agricultural Research Organisation, Research and Education Network of Uganda, East African Science and Technology Commission. Previously he served as Vice President East African Reaseach and Innovation Managers Association, Director of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate studies- Collge of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. Dr Ongol has over 25 years professional experience and has authored over 45 scientific publications.
GoGettaz Africa Lead at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
Amanda Namayi is a Youth Advocate for Climate Action & Zero Hunger. Currently, she is the GoGettaz Africa Lead at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The GoGettaz are the largest Pan-African community of young agri-food entrepreneurs. Amanda’s role is a pioneering role to grow and curate the GoGettaz Africa community, and deliver the high-profile and far-reaching campaign and prize at the center of Generation Africa. She sits at the heart of efforts to inspire and promote a new generation of Africans that can drive growth, innovation and job creation in the agri-food sector.
Her advocacy for climate action and zero hunger has seen her participate in various fora globally as a contributor, speaker and/or moderator. Most notably, she was part of the all-youth team that organized, coordinated and moderated the Youth Special Event Plenary session during the 46th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in Rome, Italy. The youth-led plenary session was the first of its kind in the history of CFS.
In a voluntary capacity, she has served as Kenya’s Country Ambassador for the Global African Agribusiness Accelerator Platform (GAAAP) and Regional Coordinator for East Africa for the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (CSAYN). Currently, she is a Board Member of the global Youth Alliance for Zero Hunger.
Amanda’s ambition is to promote systems that can keep youth actively engaged in Agriculture both sustainably and profitably.
Registrar Research Innovation and Product Development –Kenyatta University, Chairman – Kenya University Biotechnology Consortium
Richard has extensive experience in the field of Biotechnology. His active research focuses on using modern biotechnologies including genetic engineering to confer innate tolerance to local staple food crops against diseases, drought, aflatoxin and Striga. He holds a patent on a stress-inducible promoter with the World Intellectual Property Organization and Chairs the Kenya University Biotechnology Consortium; a professional body that brings together experts in Biotechnology from public and private universities to promote safe use and application of modern biotechnology in Kenya. Richard has served in several Boards. Currently, he sits in the Board of The Global Biotechnology Transfer Foundation based in the UK. He is also a Board member of Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and chairs the Finance and Administration Committee of the Board. In 2017, he was among the 52 African Scientists celebrated by the South African Department of Science and Technology for their outstanding contributions in advancing research in the continent. Richard has won several research grants, supervised several graduate students and published widely in the discipline. Apart from being an Associate Professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Richard previously served as the Director, Research Support and Dissemination before his current service as the Acting Registrar, Research Innovation and Product Development at Kenyatta University. Richard holds a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from University of Cape Town, an MSc (Biotechnology) and BSc (Biochemistry) both from Kenyatta University, Kenya. In addition, Richard has a postdoctoral training, in drug discovery from Pfizer, UK. He also holds an Executive MSc in Management and Organizational Development from United States International University, Africa, a Graduate Diploma in Forensic Sciences from Blackford Institute, UK and a Certificate in Science communication from the University of Cape Town. He has served as an Honorary Visiting Fellow of the University of Leicester.
Director, Innovation Policy & Scaling Unit, International Food Policy Research Institute
David J. Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development. David was most recently based in Kigali, Rwanda, where he led the Rwanda Strategy Support Program. From 2016 to 2020, David managed IFPRI’s research theme on science, technology, and innovation policy from its headquarters in Washington, DC, and contributed to research projects in Asia and Africa. From 2004 to 2010, he was based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was part of IFPRI’s work on strengthening agricultural innovation systems. Earlier in his career, David worked on agriculture and rural development issues for the World Bank (Washington, DC), the Aga Khan Development Network (Pakistan), and several other organizations. David received a PhD in Economics from American University in 2003, an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics in 1993, and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University in 1992.
Managing Director and Founder at Thanthwe Farms
Ngabaghila Chatata is the Managing Director and Founder of Thanthwe Farms. She is an experienced Social Scientist and Passionate farmer/entrepreneur with over 17 years in the Agribusiness and training space. Skilled in horticultural farming, entreprenuership, community mobilisation, strategic thinking, Budgeting, Sustainable Development, Capacity Development, and Program Evaluation. Strong business development professional with a Bachellor Degree in social sciences in Majoring in Sociology from University of Malawi Chancellor College.
Global Bean Programme Leader and Director, Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)
Mr. Jean Claude Rubyogo is the Global Bean Programme Leader and Director, Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) a pan African research for development organization working in 31 countries. PABRA is coordinated by the Alliance of Bioversity International and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (The Alliance) based in Nairobi-Kenya. The Global Bean Programme is a multidisciplinary research for development programme that aims at increasing food and nutrition security, improving the well-being and income of farming households in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America through exploiting the genetic diversity of the Phaseolus genus, the inclusive deployment of crop management practices, and improved market linkages. For more than 30 years, he has focused on impactful and inclusive seed systems research for development, technology delivery systems and research product commercialization and wider utilization. He has contributed to and led various research for development projects in agricultural research areas, including participatory crop research in partnership with value chain actors and building partnerships to commercialize and scale up proven technologies including farmer & consumer demanded and climate resilient varieties. For the last 20 years, he has been the Seed Systems Specialist at PABRA and has led multi-country public private partnership initiatives and multi-disciplinary teams developing and deploying sustainable and impact-oriented bean seed systems and complementary management to reach more than 35 million smallholder farmers (58.5% being women) across PABRA member countries. Jean Claude has led several demand led seed systems initiatives across other legumes (cowpea, groundnut, chickpea, soybean, and pigeon pea). He is also contributing to the ongoing professional development of the current 300 plant breeders in the Demand Led Breeding (DLB) Community of Practice. Jean Claude has extensively published several articles, books and book chapters on bean/legume seed systems and technology delivery systems models.
Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation
As Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation, Buhler supports the research and innovation activities at Michigan State University. His work focuses on the food, environment and international research portfolios of the university.
Buhler is a native of Wisconsin and received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nebraska. He started his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1984 to 1989 and the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service from 1989 to 2000. He then joined Michigan State University as Professor and Chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and served in that position from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to 2010 he was Associate Director of AgBioResearch and Associate Dean for Research for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). Buhler served as interim Dean of the CANR from 2011 to 2013 and again in 2016. Most recently he was Director of MSU AgBioResearch from 2013 to 2021 with additional duties as Senior Associate Dean of CANR from 2013 to 2015 and an Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation from 2015 to 2021.
Buhler's professional activities have generated over 330 publications including 130 refereed journal and review articles. Buhler has been an author or editor of three books and presented over 100 invited seminars, symposia, and workshops. He has made presentations or represented MSU in over 20 countries around the world. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Weed Science Society of America, and North Central Weed Science Society and is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Buhler serves on numerous boards, including the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (Vice-Chair of the Board), University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation, Center for Food Integrity, and Michigan Crop Improvement Association.
Regional Director, Africa International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Dr. Ismail has more than 30 years of experience in research for development. His research focuses on crop improvement to enhance adaptation to less favorable environments and to increase resilience to climate change using modern research tools, especially for areas affected by floods, salt stress, drought, and nutrient deficiencies and toxicities. His work contributed to understanding of physiological and molecular mechanisms associated with tolerance of several abiotic stresses in crops and for developing stress-tolerant varieties and management systems; and delivery to farmers through effective seed systems involving public and private sector partners, in both Asia and Africa. He developed and led several regional projects on breeding and delivery of high yielding, climate resilient varieties, through building and coordinating large networks of research and development partners.
Dr. Ismail worked for 18 years in Asia running projects across South and Southeast Asia. Now he is stationed in Kenya as the Director of IRRI- Africa since 2018, covering all rice growing countries in Africa. He developed and ran several large projects across Asia and Africa, including the “Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and Asia (STRASA)”, involving 18 countries in Africa and 3 countries in Asia. He also supervised 30 PhD and 20 MSc students, most from Asian and African countries.
Dr. Ismail received several honours for his work: in Vietnam (Merit medal “for the Cause of Science and Technology development”; 2010; and “Gold Medal for “Contribution to Agriculture Development” 2017) and in Cambodia (Certificate of Appreciation for inspiring leadership and strong support for the accelerated development of high yielding rice varieties suitable for Cambodia; 2017). Fellow American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Fellow, (foreign), National Academy of Agricultural sciences, India, and member, Research, Variety Development and Seed
Senior Lecturer, University of Nairobi
Dr. Opondo is a globally respected African leader in the areas of Ethical Trade, Business and Human Rights, Climate Change, Sustainability and Gender Safeguarding. She is passionate about creating awareness on Ethical Trade and Business and Human Rights on African global value chains and continues to make a significant impact in advocating for and driving implementation of ethical trade practices, social and climate sustainability in the Private Sector in collaboration with Governments and Development Organisations.
She has provided technical advisory services to diverse organisations and has been at the forefront of leading execution of multiple, large and complex projects with excellence including work commissioned by: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) [former DFID]; Ethical Trading Initiative (UK); various United Nations organizations (e.g. UN Global Compact Office, UNEP, UNFCCC); European Union; Africa Development Bank and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) among many others.
Dr. Opondo’s significant impact on the continent has contributed to a body of knowledge on ethical trade, corporate social responsibility, gender and labour rights in global value chains, trade policy, vulnerability and adaptability to climate change. Her valuable contributions have led to her being selected to contribute her thoughts in various global forums including a strategic brainstorming session for Google’s initiative, Predict and Prevent in 2008, in San Francisco, California. She was also one of the select representatives of the African continent in the World Bank Expert Focus Group Discussion on Climate Change, in Mexico City, Mexico, in 2013. She was a Coordinating Lead Author, IPCC Chapter 13 (Livelihoods and Poverty), of the Working Group II contribution to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5) (2010-2014). Dr. Opondo is a founding member of the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation (ICCA) at the University of Nairobi.
She holds a PhD (Economic Geography) from University of Duesseldorf, Germany and a Master of Arts (Economic Geography) from Kenyatta University, 1989. She has a Bachelor of Education (Education, Geography and Literature) from the University of Nairobi. Dr. Opondo has received multiple awards during her career including the African Career Award Grant for Doctoral Research from the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.
Managing Director, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Kenya
Prof. Mutui graduated from Egerton University in 1992 with a BSC in Horticulture (1st Class Honours). He also holds a PhD in Horticultural Science from the Liebniz University of Hannover, Germany. His field of specialisation is plant biotechnology and post-harvest physiology of horticultural crops. Previously, he has worked at the University of Eldoret, Moi University and the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya
Co-Founder & COO, Cropin
Kunal Prasad is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Cropin, an Agtech pioneer that has developed Cropin Cloud, the world's first industry cloud for agriculture. He has more than 15 years of experience in sales and business development, project management, product and customer experience. Kunal is passionate about reimagining agriculture, leveraging digitization and AI at scale. He firmly believes in the power of data-driven farming to increase per acre value and improve outcomes for farmers and every other stakeholder in the agriculture ecosystem.
At Cropin, Kunal is responsible for planning and driving global operations and rapidly extending the company’s footprint of computed farmlands worldwide. He works extensively with government bodies, development agencies, co-operatives, and farmer groups globally towards this goal. He is also a strong advocate of addressing larger planet scale challenges such as improving farm productivity, climate resilience, sustainability, and food security.
Prior to joining Cropin, Kunal was in the sales and marketing team at Tata Motors. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra and an MBA in Marketing from Great Lakes Institute of Management. In his leisure time, Kunal loves travelling and exploring places. He never misses an opportunity to meet new people and experience different cultures worldwide.
Executive Director of the Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA)
Hamidou Traore is Executive Director of the Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) in Burkina Faso. He holds a Ph.D. from University Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, France and specializes in weed science, natural resources management and stewardship, food security and nutrition, and research management. He is a Fulbright scholar of Purdue University and has been awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre National of Burkina Faso.
Managing Director, QBS
Andy Watt is an agriculturalist with over 43 years of commercial experience in sales, marketing, business management, strategy development and implementation, corporate governance, driving change, and business restructuring and development. He has deep knowledge of both large-scale commercial and small-scale farming across Africa, with specialist knowledge of both crop protection and seeds. He was the Managing Director of Syngenta East and Southern Africa and Head of Large Scale Farming for Syngenta in Africa. Andy sits on the boards of CKL Africa, and Lachlan Kenya as a Non-Executive Director, is Chair of the Board of Riding for the Disabled Kenya, and Vice-Chair of the Board of STAK (the Seed Trade Association of Kenya). Andy is a British Citizen and permanent resident in Kenya, married to a Kenyan and has three children and three grandchildren.
Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)
Dr. Amos Muhunda Nungu is the Director General of COSTECH. Previously saved as assistant Director at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. He is also a Senior Lecturer at the Dar Es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) in Dar es Salaam. While at DIT, also worked as Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Education and Research Network (TERNET) between 2012 and 2016. Amos holds a PhD in Telecommunication Systems and an MSc Information Technology both from the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and BSc in Computer Science from UDSM, Tanzania.
Country Director, GAIN Kenya
Ruth possesses over 20 years of experience in various development arenas such as agriculture and food security, welfare and education, water, hygiene and sanitation, health, human rights advocacy and equality, youth empowerment among others. Ruth is currently serving as GAIN Kenya Country Director. Prior to this, she served as the Regional Director for Africa at BRAC International. Over the years, Ruth played crucial roles in top leadership positions in various local and international organizations in multiple African countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Benin, Ethiopia, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Central Africa Republic.
Program Lead, Healthier Rice International Rice Research Institute
Russell is a rice breeder with significant experience developing varieties for the NSW Rice Industry in the Riverina region of south-west NSW and northern Victoria. He has a particular interest in developing highly productive varieties while matching grain quality to market requirements. Russell spent three years as IRRI's representative in South Korea, conducting breeding related research focused on developing varieties suitable for temperate rice production environments, specifically to discover and characterize new genes and QTLs for agronomic traits, grain quality, disease and insect resistance, and cold tolerance in japonica and indica backgrounds. During this time he also coordinated the activities of the Temperate Rice Research Consortium. His current responsibilities are in rice biofortification, leading a breeding program for high zinc rice varieties, and the breeding component for the Golden Rice project. He has a PhD in Plant Science, Australian National University, Australia (2001), MAgrSc in Crop Science, University of Melbourne, Australia (1994) and BAgrSc in Plant Breeding, University of Queensland, Australia (1982)
Executive Director, Seed Trade Association Of Kenya (Stak)
He leads and manages the Secretariat to stimulate a vibrant Seed sector. He has extensive exposure on Seed & Livelihood issues and Advocacy work with 24 years’ experience in Senior Management. Duncan is a fellow on Seed Policy from the University of California, Davis US and a qualified Seed Sampler under the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). Duncan holds a Masters of Arts in Planning from the University of Nairobi.
Co-founder and CEO of AkoFresh
Mathias Yabe is a multi-award-winning, internationally recognized social entrepreneur whose life’s mission is to create resilient food systems and introduce climate-smart solutions in local communities across Africa. In line with this dream, Mathias is co-founder and CEO of AkoFresh, an AgriTech startup that offers smallholder farmers sustainable crop preservation services to reduce the issue of postharvest losses and ensure resilient food systems. AkoFresh is reducing post-harvest losses, alleviating poverty, and improving nutrition.
Mathis’s innovation for AkoFresh is a mobile solar powered cold storage preservation technology that extends the shelf life of perishable crops from five days to 21 days. This storage technology is helping farmers store perishable crops over five times longer than their shelf life in ambient temperatures and thus reduce losses by 50%. The solution is fully powered by solar energy which makes the solution affordable, accessible to rural areas and has a reduced environmental footprint. AkoFresh has helped increase food supply by 15% by reducing post-harvest losses, improved nutrition for over 350 school children in two local farming communities and created five jobs.
AkoFresh has received recognition from the World Economic Forum as a winner and top innovator in the Generation Restoration Youth Challenge and has also been recognized and awarded by organizations such as TotalEnergies, The Mills Fabrica and the Global Solutions Initiative in Berlin.
In his academic studies, Mathis received the Government of Ghana Merit Scholarship in high school and has attended three global conferences in Germany and India and presented two academic posters on sustainable food systems. He has also mentored over 800 high school students through the Students for Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship program.
Mathis is also proud to have helped vulnerable students in Ghana. During the pandemic, he pioneered the development of a disability friendly virtual learning platform for hearing impaired students to study during school closures as they were unable to access the government's online learning modules which were designed only for students who could hear. Called, Project ReL, it changed the experiences of deaf students as Ghana’s first virtual learning environment totally in sign language and is additionally a digital database to store educational resources specifically for the deaf community. The project received recognition from the Ford Motor Company Fund during the Ford Motor Company Fund COVID-19 College Challenge and has directly impacted over 2,600 students.
Mathis has been global recognized for his work. In 2019 I was selected as a Millennium Fellow, a global program hosted by the United Nations Academic Impact and MCN. This program convenes, challenges, and celebrates bold student leadership advancing the Sustainable Development Goals on campuses and communities. Last year, he received the Community Prize award from The Mills Fabrica and was awarded First Prize at the 2022 Young Global Changers Recoupling Award at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin.
Group Leader at 2Blades
Kamil Witek is the Group Leader at 2Blades. He is an industry-orientated, entrepreneurial plant molecular geneticist and genomicist with proven record of productivity in innovative R&D projects and international collaborations. Effectively working in a team, with verified leadership skills in various settings. Highly motivated to learn new skills.
Ag. CEO/Registrar of the Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC)
Lucy Komen is the current Ag. CEO/Registrar of the Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC). She devotes most of her time in ensuring that farmers are able to access quality, certified storage facilities in a bid to reduce post-harvest losses. Farmers’ deposits under WRS can accord them access to financial facilities using the warehouse receipt as collateral in addition to market access for the stored commodity. Her vision is to see a structured agriculture commodity trade. Lucy is passionate about food security, food safety and using environment friendly pesticides in farming. She attended a program dubbed Making Agriculture Work for food and nutrition security offered by WCDI, Wageningen, and believes that agriculture in Africa can work.
She is also the lead consultant for Luberts Constancy, where she advocates for thinking strategy, and thinking fresh. With over 27 years extensive experience in working with both, the Government and Private sectors, locally and internationally, she has gained good knowledge of Government Policies especially in the agricultural sector. She has also worked and consulted in the chemical industry, specific to products registration, and market dynamics and use cases for organic pesticides. When is come to business, she is a good negotiator.
A proud mother of four, she has an MBA in Strategic Management and Bachelor of Business Administration from Egerton University. In her earlier years she attained a Diploma in Information Technology from Algonquin College, Canada. Lucy believes in continuous improvement and has over the years undertaken programs towards the course. Currently she is undertaking an Advanced Leadership Program with the African Management Institute.
She of course, l work and no play, she also enjoys travelling, connecting with new people, cooking, and of course tasting food from all cultures.
Director of Research, Rwebitaba ZARDI
Dr Titus Alicai is the Director of Research of Rwebitaba ZARDI. He served as former Principal Plant Virologist and Leader of the Root Crops Research Programme at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda. His main research goal is to understand and control plant viruses in sub-Saharan Africa, and he has extensive research experience on viral pathogens of cassava, sweet potato and yam. This includes virus taxonomy, molecular characterization, diagnosis, field epidemiology, effects on growth and yield, as well as tissue culture, genetic transformation and confined field evaluation of transgenic plants. He provided the first indication that Cassava brown streak disease is caused by two distinct viruses. The team that he leads, made up of over 100 researchers, has in recent years significantly contributed knowledge on cassava brown streak disease virology, whitefly vector, resistance breeding, transgenic control and clean seed systems. Dr. Alicai is a reviewer for leading plant pathology journals, has authored over 60 scientific publications, collaborates widely, within Africa and internationally.
Lead Strategist of FutuX Agri-consult Ltd
Olarewaju Babatunde is a gender and agricultural value chain expert with 12 years of experience. He is a highly skilled and experienced professional with a proven track record of success in advocating for gender equality and social justice. He has a deep understanding of rural sociology and he is passionate about using his knowledge and skills to empower women and youth in agriculture.
Babatunde has worked on a variety of agricultural projects in Nigeria and other African countries, including projects focused on gender mainstreaming, youth empowerment, value chain development, and market access. He has also provided training and capacity building to agricultural stakeholders on a range of topics, including gender-responsive agriculture, value chain analysis, and project management. In addition, he supported gender-responsive agricultural development, including projects to promote women's access to land, credit, and inputs, and to strengthen women's participation in agricultural value chains. He has developed and implemented gender-sensitive agricultural training programs, conducting research on the gender dimensions of agricultural value chains, and advising governments and development organizations on gender issues in agriculture and promoted gender-inclusive agricultural value chains
Currently, he works as Lead Strategist of FutuX Agri-consult Ltd, a private agricultural extension firm providing support to smallholders, including women. He had also worked under different national and international projects with various organizations such as MasterCard Foundation, CBI (Netherlands), Fair match Support, GIZ, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), Action against Hunger, Tanager International, SADC Research centre, IFAD/FGN (VCDP) amongst others.
Babatunde is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of women and youths and his work is helping to create a more sustainable and inclusive agricultural sector in Africa.
Global Head of Seeds2B, Syngenta Foundation for Sustain able Agriculture
Tony is the Global Head of Seeds2B for The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) based in Nairobi, Kenya. Seeds2B is SFSA’s seeds stream that focuses on helping smallholder farmers gain access to quality, climate-smart, and affordable seeds of improved varieties for the crops they need.
Tony leads the strategy and long-term planning for Seeds2B in Africa and Asia, including exploring new institutional arrangements for scaling and developing new partnerships. He is also the Chief of Party for key seeds delivery initiatives being implemented by SFSA including the USAID funded Partnerships for Seed Technology Transfer in Africa (PASTTA) program, the BMGF funded Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Cereals in Africa (AVISA) program and the OneCGIAR Seed Equal initiative.
Global Fellows Coordinator, Alliance for Science
Zola Madaga is an extraordinary individual who epitomizes agricultural resilience through innovation. With nearly a decade of experience in delivering successful agricultural projects and programs, Zola has established herself as a highly accomplished Project Management Professional. Equipped with a BSc in Project Management and Science Communication and Advocacy training from the prestigious Alliance for Science Fellowship Programme at Cornell University, Zola possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively communicate and advocate for agricultural technologies. Her expertise lies in providing practical solutions to challenges faced by farmers, including pests, diseases, and the detrimental effects of climate change. Driven by a vision of unrestricted access to agricultural innovations, Zola is passionate about empowering communities to enhance productivity, sustainability, and overall livelihoods. Her focus on economic development, nutrition, and well-being underscores her dedication to creating a better future through agriculture.
Senior Program Specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Victor Mbao is a veterinarian whose expertise lies in livestock vaccines and One Health research. With a keen interest in the adoption of technologies by smallholder farmers, particularly in the African context, he brings over 20 years of research and program management experience across the public, private, and development sectors. His professional journey has revolved around veterinary tick-borne diseases, vaccine development, One Health programming, and, more recently, research on technologies for climate-smart livestock systems. Victor currently holds the position of Senior Program Specialist with the Climate Resilient Food Systems at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Associate Professor, Dept. of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering, University of Nairobi
Prof. (Eng) Duncan Onyango Mbuge is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nairobi. He attended Egerton University and University of Nairobi for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering. He is registered by the Kenya Engineers Registration Board as a professional engineer and is a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya. He is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Lead Expert. He is currently conducting research on motorcycle drawn potato harvesting machinery for small scale farmers, electric and laser weeding, use of organic waste for biogas, development and promotion of solar PV systems for cooking, irrigation and lighting, optimization of evaporative cooling systems for fruit and vegetable preservation, development of hybrid solar/desiccant driers, processing and packaging of African leafy vegetables.
Professor Crop Science & Biosystems Engineering, University College, Dublin
Kevin McDonnell holds a joint appointment across two schools: Crop Science in the School of Agriculture & Food Science (60%) and the School of Biosystems & Food Engineering (40%). His specialist interdisciplinary area is Agricultural Systems, addressing the sustainable use of bio-resources with a global perspective, including agri-based bio-energy systems and the agri-food based bio-economy. Over the last 8 years, he has collaborated as Co-PI on competitively secured national and European research projects worth in excess of EUR 56 million, and he is the coordinator on the LIFE EU Farm4More H2020 project worth EUR 5.5 million. Kevin has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers and works with a global focus, collaborating with multiple companies and start-ups through ConsultUCD. Prior to joining UCD, he was an Inspector (Waste licensing & Enforcement) with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Founder and CEO, Renie Fresh
Renalda Mlay, the inspiring CEO and Founder with a background in business, leadership, and management. With an amazing track record spanning more than 30 years, Renalda has suavely negotiated the worlds of Small & Medium Enterprises and Large Corporate organizations. Her influence goes beyond boardrooms. She successfully navigates the hurdles of the agricultural business as an Agripreneur, displaying her skill in project management among its complexity. Renalda, a Coventry University graduate with a master's degree in business management and a focus in international business, has vast experience with climate change, leadership, and food systems thanks to international trainings and symposiums.
She is well known for her dedication to mentoring and community support in addition to her professional skills. A believer in the power of leadership and growth, which is reflected in her passion for helping committed women and young people succeed in their careers. Her path is one of empowerment and inspiration; she has a broad range of abilities; smart thinking, and unshakable commitment which have made her a formidable force in both business and social life. She keeps paving the road for a better future where leadership and innovation, this goes hand in hand with heart intent on promoting excellence and igniting good change.
Director, Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA)
Moses Mwesigwa is the Director of the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA). He is an Agricultural Economist with 20 years experience and a demonstrated history of working in the Private and Public sectors. He is skilled and competent in team leadership, agricultural development research, projects design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, institutional capacity development, public private partnership management, value chain analysis, financial management, resources mobilization, knowledge management and communication, budgeting and work plan development.
CEO and Co-Founder of Hillside Green Growers
Ms. Eunice Mwongera is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hillside Green Growers, a Kenyan company whose mission is to lead the way in connecting farmers to buyers through a process of ripening and repackaging raw food for safe presentation to the market. The Company also farm and export fresh and healthy fruits & vegetables to Europe and middle East Hillside believes that flourishing health is largely contributed by what one eats. To accomplish the mission hillside re-launched eat safe in 2017 a segment focusing on local markets.
Former Principal Secretary of the State Department for Agricultural Research in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Kenya
Prof. Hamadi Iddi Boga is the former Principal Secretary of the State Department for Agricultural Research in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Prior to that he was the former founding Principal of Taita Taveta University and was its Vice Chancellor between 2007 and 2017. He was a Professor in the Department of Botany at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. His skills and interests are in biology, agricultural science, sequencing, microbiology, molecular biological techniques and RNA genes. He also has an interest in microbial ecology of insects’ guts, soils and soda lakes and has worked with termites, the soda lakes of Kenya, mangrove swamps, agricultural and forest soils and also on Mount Kenya glacier. He has a PhD in Biology from Universität Konstanz in Germany.
Early Warning System Specialist at FAO
Peris Muchiri is currently working as an Early Warning System Specialist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Prior to that she served in the UN FAO as a hydro-meteorologist. She is undertaking her PhD studies in Climate Change and adaptation at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and holds a MA in Project Planning and Management (2012), MSc in Hydrology (2007) and BSc in Meteorology (2000).
Her key skills include; Climate and water related data analysis, installation of weather and river monitoring systems, weather forecasting, hydrological modelling, GIS, disaster risk management, capacity building, project planning and report writing. Over the years, she has worked with Government institutions of Somalia to help build up the water resources sector destroyed during the civil war in the country. She facilitated and supervised the re-installation of weather and hydrometric monitoring networks comprising over 100 different types in Somalia of which she has remained in charge for over ten years. Peris is responsible for climate and water resources databases and supervises a group of 120 weather observers and an additional 12 technical officers in water resources and climate activities. Ms. Muchiri is also experienced in disaster risk reduction activities especially in droughts and floods. For over ten years she has been the team leader for monitoring of floods and droughts while building resilience of the vulnerable communities in Somalia within FAO projects and this has significantly reduced the suffering of the communities owing to climate related hazards. Her abilities in climate and hydrological modelling have enabled her develop an integrated early warning system for Somalia with a focus on droughts and floods which are frequent in the country she has remained the team leader for the generation and distribution of early warning information.
Director, SweetTunda, Co-Founder of Burton & Bamber Co Ltd
Jonathan Bamber is an entrepreneur committed to securing outcomes for every stakeholder. He works with smallholder farmers in mango and orange flesh sweet potato (OFSP) value chains across Central and Coastal regions of Kenya. He co-founded Burton and Bamber Co. Ltd in 2015; an agro-processing company, delivering world-class healthy snacks and food ingredients to Kenya, East Africa and Europe. The company uses fruit and vegetable inputs sourced from smallholder farmers, reducing food waste and implementing local value addition. His experience spans diplomatic service, emergency relief and international development now harnessed in a commercial vehicle delivering economic and social impacts for those living on the outer edges of the global economy. He is working towards a profitable, impactful East African business.
Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Enviro Gro Farms
Nkiru is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Enviro Gro Farms – a company she co-founded to produce high-end vegetables for the Nigerian Market. It is a premier commercial grower and marketer of fine quality vegetables in Nigeria. Nkiru has over twenty years working experience with a decade of that experience in ExxonMobil as a project and design engineer and project manager for infrastructure projects in Nigeria, United States, Singapore and France. Nkiru has a B.Eng in Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada. In 2015, she won an award from The Centre For Value Leadership (CVL) as an Outstanding Female Entrepreneur in the Agricultural Sector. She is also a Fellow of the Cochran Program of the United States Department of Agriculture and a fellow of the United State department of States International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) under the African Women Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP).
Nkiru currently provides research support for the production of consistent insect frass and insect meal in line with global standards to Protein Kapital Ltd on the various projects they are working on. She is the board chair of Agridrive Nigeria and Kenya and is also the Board Chair for IITA, Business Incubation Platform where she is in charge of strategic management of the board.
Chief Executive Officer, Climate Smart Agriculture Excellence Centres
Benson Kamau, a driven entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of Climate Smart Agriculture Excellence Centres (CSAEC), holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Kenyatta University. Passionate about agriculture, climate change, and community development, he co-founded the STEP PROGRAM to combat teenage early pregnancy in Kilifi County, Kenya. Benson, a sought-after speaker, has shared his insights at prominent summits like the AGRF summit in Abidjan and Accra in 2017 and 2019, as well as the CULTIAF conference in Nairobi in June 2023. CSAEC, established in 2019, operates as a social enterprise, running Climate Smart Farms serving as innovation hubs for sustainable agriculture. These farms showcase the commercial and environmental benefits of Climate Smart Agriculture, providing a benchmark for farmers to adopt innovative and environmentally friendly practices. CSAEC focuses on knowledge and skill development, offering affordable extension services, and collaborating with governmental institutions to disseminate key information on Climate Smart Agriculture techniques. The organization's inaugural project in Kilifi county has demonstrated increased productivity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and enhanced resilience to climatic changes, offering valuable insights to local communities.
Director of Business and Technical Services, LocateIT Limited
Ms. Vivianne Meta is the Director of Business and Technical Services at LocateIT Limited, a Space and Geomatics company based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has vast experience in the use and application of Geographic Information Systems, Earth Observation, Surveying and GIT technologies. A Geomatics Engineering graduate, Ms. Meta is involved in managing and coordinating the execution of LocateIT’s geospatial projects including those entailing policy formulation, implementation, development, monitoring & evaluation. She is also involved in business development and as the project manager, plays an instrumental role in the implementation of flagship projects developed, conceptualised, and implemented by LocateIT. She also serves as the national representative (PoC) for Kenya for the African Aeronautics and Space Organisation (AASO). Vivianne is also a member of the African Leadership Conference (ALC) on Space Science (Youth Forum) – a body concerned with promoting enabling environments for the advancements of the Space industry in Africa. Ms. Meta was in 2019 listed among the Top 10 under 30 Space professionals in Africa disrupting the space ecosystem while creating a global impact. Beyond just being a professional in the industry, Vivianne is extremely passionate about space science and attributes her motivation to the satisfaction gained from seeing communities in Africa getting transformed through the work she does, most importantly, the application of geo technologies for sustainable development initiatives. She is passionate about mentorship for youth and women, and would do just about anything to steer this space revolution globally and influence the next the generation of space scientists, enthusiasts and geo-savvy community.
Country Director, Africa Agribusiness Academy
Charles Gitau is a seasoned professional with a rich background in agricultural development and entrepreneurship. Over his 12-year tenure at East Africa Breweries, he specialized in coordinating barley research and extension efforts, focusing on improving beer quality through agronomic and breeding trials. In 2010, Charles co-founded the Africa Agribusiness Academy (AAA), an entrepreneur network dedicated to fostering innovation and growth for small and medium agrifood firms in Africa. Serving as the Country Director for Kenya and International Vice-Chairman, he has played a pivotal role in expanding AAA's network to encompass 20 active business clubs with over 510 members across six countries. Charles has been a driving force in agricultural value chain development, contributing to capacity building, coaching, mentorship, and the promotion of inclusive business models. His extensive experience includes involvement in projects supported by various national and international agencies, addressing issues ranging from rural income improvement to food security. Notably, he co-founded the "Stitching Africa Agribusiness Academy Fund (SAAAF)" to provide immediate financial support to AAA SMEs affected by the disruptions caused by Covid-19.
Charles has also been instrumental in implementing projects focusing on climate change resilience and sustainable food systems, such as the Youth in Agroecology and Business Learning Track Africa (YALTA) and the ongoing "PrAEctiCe" project, exploring agroecology practices in East Africa. Holding two MBA degrees in Marketing and Management Science from Egerton University, specializing in smallholders and agro-based SMEs, Charles is a key consultant at AAA, representing agro-based SMEs in policy dialogues and participating in initiatives like the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) under the Africa Union. His current projects include coordinating an EC-funded initiative facilitating African Smallholder Farmers in agroecology transition and the "Beyond Farming Collective" project supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aiming to establish a network for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Charles Gitau's diverse skill set spans agrotourism, business case development in water and land management, branding of agri-based products, and the management of "Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES)."
Economist, Food Securitv and Early Warning, FAO
Brenda is an economist working with FAO. She co-leads the regional Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) and facilitates discussions, within FAO and with partners, on food security early warning systems in the East Africa region. Her recent work has included leading the production of joint early warning products about the 2021/22 drought across the Horn of Africa and supporting the development of strategic response recommendations.
Board Director, Agridrive Ltd
Geoffrey Otieno is an International Strategy and Business Transformation Consultant at Enreal Limited, a company he founded in June 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a Business Coach at Stanford University, USA, a Business Mentor at Santa Clara University’s Miller Centre.
An innovative thinker, who before Enreal, was at Sproxil East Africa Limited as Country Director, prior to that, a Director of Nokia Corporation looking after various African countries. Mr Otieno has also worked for Microsoft Corporation, Eastman Kodak Corporation in various roles across many countries in the world. He has innovated two digital apps that are present in various countries in Africa.
Mr. Otieno holds a degree in Commerce (Business Administration) from the University of Nairobi, an MBA from Strathmore Business School and a Certificate in French from Alliance Francaise, Nairobi. He has just finished his PhD in Business Management (Innovative Strategy focus).
Mr Otieno is fluent in English, French and Swahili and has developed great strategic plans and execution roadmaps for over 600 organisations including the American Chamber of Commerce (In 5 countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda), USAID, Christian Aid, Reach for Change, SME Thinktank, Bacardi Germany, Citibank NA, Danone, KCB Bank Group among others.
Mr Otieno has served on several boards in various companies in Kenya and beyond. He has lived and worked in various African countries, including South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana. There he helped build/grow/transform over 300 businesses (large and small) across 4 continents. He founded the SME Think Tank in 2020 to assist SMEs navigate the COVID 19 pandemic and grow their businesses. The SME Think Tank today has over 75 members Africa-wide.
CEO, Baby Grubz
Oluwaseun Sangoleye is a multiple award winning entrepreneur and an experienced Nutrition Educator and manufacturer of packaged Infant meals and snacks made from grains, fruits & vegetables called Baby Grubz Nigeria ®, a social enterprise based in Lagos Nigeria with operations in Ghana and United Kingdom. Some of her notable awards and recognition include: The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, An inducted member of the global Catalyst 2030.
She is a seasoned trainer and international speaker who has spoken on notable platforms such as the World Bank’s FoodTech Innovations, Annual convention of the Nigerian Women Association of Georgia, Atlanta, USA, Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2022 Summit, Kigali, Rwanda.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Lagos State University; Programming for Infant and Young Child Feeding at Cornell NutritionWorks in conjunction with UNICEF; Business and Entrepreneurship Training from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia, USA and Social Sector Management from Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
Seun is also an author and provides online mentoring to over 350,000 Nigerian Mothers across her social media platforms.
Head of Market and Trade, AGRA
Nega Wubeneh joined AGRA in 2009 as a policy Program Officer for Market and Regional Trade. He has held different roles in AGRA including Country Manager for Ethiopia, Head of Strategy. He has extensive in experience in Program Management, Value Chain development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Quantitative Policy Analysis, and Policy Advocacy.
During his tenure at AGRA, Nega was seconded to the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) as a Senior Director. In this role, he oversaw the Systems Programs, which encompassed areas such as Markets, Cooperatives, Seeds, Soil Fertility, Household Irrigation, Mechanization, Research and Extension, and Rural Finance. His responsibilities involved developing innovative solutions to address systemic barriers in the agricultural sector.
Prior to joining AGRA, Nega was Agricultural Research Officer at the CGIAR Science Council Secretariat at United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), working on ex-post impact assessment and monitoring and evaluation of international agricultural research. He also served as a Senior Research Assistant in the Livestock Policy Analysis Program of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Nega has a BSc in Statistics and BA in Economics from Addis Ababa University and MSc and PhD (ABD) in International Development and Policy from Purdue University, United States.
Founder, Aquaponics
Justin Hess is the founder of Ichthys Aquaponics Group birthed from his love for aquaponics. He also has a big passion to grow Ichthys’s footprint without borders. Through his leadership, hunger to share knowledge and passion in assisting any aquaponic farmer, Justin is someone whose name will stand as a legacy in the aquaponics industry. Justin is at his happiest with his son at his side and a fishing rod in hand making memories that will outlast generations.
Consultant International Seed and Seed Systems
Dr. Onsando has over 40 years of Agricultural background. He possesses over 30years’ extensive experience in seed and seed systems including seed regulation, phytosanitary science and practice, seed policy, seed laws and regulations, seed systems, plant breeding, plant variety registration and protection, seed quality value chain and agri-business including seed business. His general management and leadership are supported by a very strong finance and interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and communication skills. He has a PhD in plant pathology and to his credit 30 publications which include two chapters in two books. In his 40 years’ agricultural career he has worked at different places in public, private and NGO sub – sectors, culminating in his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) which is a Kenyan Agricultural Regulatory Agency and a Regional Centre of Excellency and before then a member of the Board of Management of the same organisation for 9 years. Dr. Onsando took an active role in the accession of KEPHIS to UPOV, OECD seed schemes, IPPC and ISTA accreditation of the KEPHIS seed laboratory. He was also involved at policy level in the integration and harmonization of regional economic communities (EAC, COMESA and SADC) seed laws and regulations in order to foster cross border seed trade. Dr Onsando is currently, an international seed and seed systems consultant and he has consulted for Gates Foundation, AGRA, USAID, AATF, University of Greenwich in the UK, East African Tea Trade Association, J.E. AUSTIN ASOCIATES, INC in the USA and African Union on a number of times in a number of African Countries.
James also brings on board more than 10 years’ experience in agri-entrepreneurship and supply chains (Flowers and Tea) and the associated research, innovation, investment and commercialization of products, sustainable agriculture, environment, food safety and a thorough understanding of marketing skills having worked for a multinational agricultural business entity (Unilever) as the Technical Manager of the Flower Business and the Head of Agricultural Research and Sustainability of the Tea Business for 14 years. This background makes him fully operational in commercial R&D where product innovation, proof of concept, product development and differentiation, a business case development to inform investment and the actual commercialization process is the way of life. This background is important in the development of the seed investment plans which are key in seed transformation process in Africa.
Managing Director, Apiculture Venture Limited, Kenya
Pauline is a seasoned professional apiculturist with strong working knowledge and experience in business operations in the modern beekeeping industry. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Apiculture Venture Limited, a company established in July 2018. She has a long track in the management of, and training in, modern beekeeping techniques, honey handling and processing, and beehive products value addition and marketing. She dared to use the skills and experience she had gained as an employee for 13 years in a beekeeping company to venture into this male-dominated industry, adopting the moniker, ‘Queen Bee’. In the five years of operation, she has managed to position Apiculture Venture Limited among the top 5 key players in the Kenyan beekeeping industry.
She is passionate about enterprising in beekeeping and honey production. She extends her ambition as a social cause and economic empowerment drive in the Kenyan ASALs where there is high potential for honey production yet poverty levels are still high. She runs the “Inspiring New Generation” initiative that encourages youths to adopt agribusiness as an alternative career option and the ‘Save Bees, Save Nature’ initiative to promote sustainable beekeeping. Through the ‘Modern Beekeeping for Improved Livelihoods’ initiative, she aims at boosting household food resilience by reducing the number of food-insecure Kenyans. The program targets vulnerable youth and women for training, mentorship, and building awareness on modern beekeeping, honey, and beehive products processing and value addition. It supports honey production as a business through; the provision of modern beekeeping equipment and technical support, access to the market for guaranteed income through a buy-back model, encouraging honey processing as a way of value addition, and ensuring food-insecure households have sustainable income that will guarantee access to sufficient and nutritious food. This project won the 2022 USADF-Stanbic 50,000USD Grant Award.
She is a graduate of, and current mentor at, the U.S-led initiative, the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE). She is a mentee of the 2022/23 UNFAO Accelerator Mentorship Programme for Women-led SMEs. She participated in the 2023 NextGen TechCamp Nairobi organized by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State. She is one of the Top 50 African Business Heroes 2023 Finalists. She has been recognized among the Top 25 Global Finalists for 2023 WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and among the Top 5 incredible entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa advancing SDGs through their businesses. She has been shortlisted for the 2023 Cohort of the E4Impact. She holds an MBA, Strategic Management Degree from Daystar University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce.
Head of Extension and Outgrower Psaltry International Company Limited
Damilola Olapade is the Head of Extension and Outgrower Psaltry International Company Limited, the leading agro-allied cassava processing company and the first Casava-based Sorbitol factory in Africa. He is a diligent Agribusiness Specialist, Agripreneurship coach, Extensionist, Rural Development expert, and trainer with proven experience working with youth and rural farmers on a series of Agricultural management and rural development-driven projects. He has an extensive background in driving transformative changes in the field of agricultural extension and rural development, particularly in the Cassava Value chain.
He was recently elected as the Innovation development officer of the AKILIMO NIGERIA ASSOCIATION (ANA) implementing and leading digital and smart Agricultural tools for improving Cassava farmer's productivity. His notable accomplishments are the inclusion of Agricultural technological innovation, and the development of a Gender Integration Strategy and guideline, fostering the implementation of gender-sensitive activities in Agricultural projects.
He has spearheaded many projects founded by renowned international donors, Agribusiness investors, and grant-funding bodies such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), British American Tobacco of Nigeria Foundation and the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project of IITA Nigeria, among many others.
With his profound expertise, passion, and unwavering dedication, he is poised to make significant contributions to the Inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technology, sharing insights that will shape the future of Agriculture in Africa and promote sustainable development across the continent.
Chairperson of African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS)
Paul Falakeza Fatch is a Malawian extension and rural development professional who has worked since 2005 in the agriculture sector. He is the Chairperson of African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS). From 2005 to 2015 he worked in Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture in various extension positions, and from 2015 to date as a lecturer at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). He holds various advisory positions in extension professional bodies, notably as the Chairperson of African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) since 2019, and Secretary General for Malawi Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (MaFAAS) since 2012. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Rural Development and Extension, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Extension, both from the University of Malawi (UNIMA). He has published 5 articles in peer reviewed journals. Paul Falakeza Fatch has contributed to establishment of country fora for extension in Africa by championing the establishment and operation of MaFAAS, one of the pioneers AFAAS country fora from which lessons are replicated elsewhere in Africa. He also contributed to the development of guidelines for extension approaches, methods, and tools in Malawi such as lead farmer, harmonized demonstrations, harmonized programming, farmer’s field school, and development of training manuals for extension staff in Malawi, resulting in 21 major official documents for Malawi. He has coordinated and managed high impact projects such as the 2009 to 2013 Support to Agricultural Extension and Training Services Project (SAETS) funded by Flanders Government, 2009 to 2015 Agriculture Sector Wide Approach Support Project (ASWAp-SP) funded by various donors, and 2016 to 2019 Crops for Healthy Diets: Linking Agriculture and Nutrition (HealthyLAND) funded by the German Ministry of Agriculture.
Strategic Partnership Director of the SAA
Dr. Mel Oluoch (Kenya, PhD), Strategic Partnership Director of the SAA, joined SAA in 2018 as the Regional Director and is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He has a PhD in Horticulture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech, USA), a MSc in Horticulture from Central Mindanao University (Philippines), and a BSc Degree in Agriculture from the University of Eastern Africa (Kenya).
He is an Agriculture Research and Development professional with multidisciplinary background experience in horticulture, agronomy, project management, capacity building, rural agriculture development, seed systems, public-private sector partnerships, marketing systems, value chain development and technology transfer. He has previously held R&D and leadership capacities at the World Vegetable Center, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), HarvestPlus, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and Wageningen Plant Research, The Netherlands.
Currently, he coordinates SAAs strategic partnerships to enhance the design and program delivery of practical and innovative agricultural extension and advisory service and capacity building systems in Africa.
Founder, Profate Investment Ltd
Ms. Feddy is the Founder of Profate Investment Ltd. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Social Work from the National Social Welfare Training Institute in Dar es Salaam (1988), a Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Management from the College of Business Education in Dar es Salaam (2003), and an International Certificate in Women Entrepreneurship and Business Developments from the Small Industries Development in Noida, India (2008). With a diverse professional background, she currently serves as the Owner and Company Managing Director in the Dairy Industry. Ms. Feddy has played key roles in various associations, including serving as the Association Secretary for the Tanzania Milk Processors Association, Chairperson of the same association, and as a Board Member for both the Ilala Dairy Cooperative Society and the Eastern and Southern Africa Dairy Association. Her skill set encompasses leadership, negotiations, project management, planning, and entrepreneurship.
Ambassador, AGCO Agriculture Foundation
John Agboola is a global hunger fighter, youth advocate and agri-tech specialist passionate about agricultural innovations and research for sustainable agri-food systems transformation in Africa. John is an agricultural economist, value chain catalyst, agricultural mechanization expert and project manager. He is the Manager for AGCO Agriculture Foundation, a corporate Foundation established by AGCO Corporation. In other capacities, John is the Youth-in-Data ambassador for CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, Lead for TMG Research gGmbH ‘Youth-in-Soil and COVID-19 Food Future initiatives.’ John is a Borlaug-Adesina Fellow and the Founder of Agrarian Opportunities, a leading platform connecting Africans to global agricultural opportunities.
Smallholder Farmer
Emma is an Innovative Farmer with proven skills in veterinary and Crop Husbandry. Her ingenuity in farming and veterinary practices has earned her several awards both in Uganda and Africa. Uganda Best Farmer 2014, Africa food Prize 2019, Africa Business Heros 2020 among others. Her need to pass on the knowledge that has enabled her be successful prompted her to build a Primary School; MST Junior School in Entebbe Uganda; to impart life skills to the young generation.
She has previously worked for the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC & DB). She has also worked for the President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, on his personal dairy farm to improve the genetics of his herd through artificial insemination. Emma also served as Chairman of Red Cross Mbarara. She currently sits on the board of BUCADEF and Caritas Kampala.
Chief of Party, RTI
Robert Mwadime, PhD, is a decorated professional in tackling poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition issues by delivering innovative and multidisciplinary result-oriented solutions. Robert’s over 20 years of working in academia and international organizations has skilled him in strategic and creative thinking in program design and management, institutional capacity development, and policy analysis and reform. He is an expert in food technology and agri-food systems development; and has taught biostatistics and analytical technics to programming at the University of Nairobi and Makerere University. He is a motivational speaker, a trainer/coach and is passionate and a committed self-starter who uses participatory approaches in learning and adaptive management.
Gender Specialist, Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture in the Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)
Eileen Nchanji is a gender specialist working with the Alliance of Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture in the Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) program. Within PABRA, Nchanji leads gender research and development across 32 countries in Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. Her work contributes to the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals. Nchanji works in multidisciplinary teams with governments, private sector partners, and research institutions to identify and strengthen linkages between women and young farmers entrepreneurs and financial providers and markets. Nchanji holds a PhD in Social Anthropology. Before joining the Alliance, she worked with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
National Director of International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS)
Kenneth Obayuwana is the National Director of International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS). He is a dynamic global speaker, creative thinker, and business strategist committed to inspiring positive change. He is the executive director of Positive Impact Africa, an ideal development and performance enhancement organization with a mission to raise youth who will stand to make a difference and produce a positive result in all their endeavors and with the mandate to maximize the potentials of youth and utilize it for them. Additionally, he serves as the Managing Director of KrixtoBax Limited, an agro-processing company producing Baxto Dried Catfish and Baxto Fufu Flour. Kenneth is deeply involved in various capacities, from being a board member of EyesofAfrika TV to his role in the Boardroom Institute and as a fellow of the African Young Leaders Fellowship Program. Holding an executive MBA in Leadership and Management from the Accra Business School, he is also an alumnus of Fate Foundation. His accolades include Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, along with an Outstanding Leadership Award. Passionate about leveraging agriculture for social impact, Kenneth recently earned a scholarship from Agripreneurship Alliance to study Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness. His commitment extends to international partnerships, as seen in his ambassadorship with UK-based organization TheirsWorld. As the Convener of the "Africa Farmers Convention" and President of the Africa Chambers of Smallholder Farmers, Kenneth continues to be a prominent figure in the agro industry, utilizing media platforms to speak on agricultural issues and champion self-development.
Founder, Nutritious Agriculture Network
Ms. Dorah Momanyi is the Founder of the Nutritious Agriculture Network. She also serves as a part-time lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology where she graduated with an MSc in Food Science and Nutrition. Named among 2021 RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneur Competition winners, Dorah leads a climate smart Agro processing initiative called iPoP Africa which reclaims the sovereignty of Indigenous grains to Africa. She is a 2022 One young World Ambassador, a Bioinnovate Africa Women, Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Alumni, and a Young Woman Leader on Climate Adaptation Fellow. Dorah is also a speaker and a moderator in many areas related to the food and Agriculture nexus. Dorah is passionate about the nexus between Nutrition, Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Change for people and the planet and is working to contribute to ending malnutrition in all its forms.
IGNITE Gender Expert
Dr. Mary Thamari, IGNITE gender expert, brings more than 15 years of experience in technical advisory, program management, and leadership in the development sector. She has been involved in research, program quality assurance, and impact assessment in a range of development and humanitarian programs, including environmental sustainability, economic empowerment, agriculture and livelihoods, disaster response and resilience, and conflict and peacebuilding.
Thamari is driven by a passion to end poverty and inequality and utilizes her skills in ethnographic research, gender analysis, political economy analysis, strategic planning, and project management to that end.
Thamari holds a Ph.D. in African Studies and Anthropology from the University of Birmingham, UK, with extensive research in gender norms and livelihoods. Her contributions to research and academia have led to authorship of books and journal articles with a focus on women, gender norms, land laws, women’s land rights, livelihoods, youth aspirations and resilience, and the intersections between social norms and development.
Director, Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Malawi
Dr. George Vakusi is the Director at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Malawi. He graduated from Chancellor College in 1992 with Bachelor of Education majoring in Biology and Chemistry as a minor. He has a Master of Education obtained from Hiroshima University in Japan in 2011 and is currently doing PHD studies with University of Malawi in Mathematics and Science Education. He has previously taught in various Secondary Schools for over 20 years apart from working under the Directorate of Teacher Education and Development (DTED) before joining Nalikule College of Education as a Lecturer in Biology in 2017.
Senior News Anchor, Citizen TV
Yvonne Okwara is a Kenyan media personality with 13 years experience in radio and television. She has moderated several local and international panels comprising Melinda Gates, Former US Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Chairman Monetary Authority of Singapore, Governor Central Bank of Kenya Dr. Patrick Njoroge, Former IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe, Bishop TD Jakes, as well as former AfDB President Donald Kaberuka. In 2017, she moderated the Presidential Debates in Kenya. Yvonne is currently a Senior News Anchor and Editor in charge of Research and Planning at East Africa’s biggest TV channel, Citizen TV. She is a media consultant for Kenya’s National Defence College, and sits on the ENACTUS Business Advisory Council. She is a board member at CBM Kenya, a development organisation that works to improve the lives of persons with disability, and chairs the Advisory Board of Africa Uncensored, an independent media house set up by Kenya’s finest investigative journalists. Yvonne is a Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative Media Fellow.
Policy and Programme Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
Emmanuel is a highly intelligent, creative and proactive professional equipped with a blend of dynamic leadership and managerial skills perfected over 20 years of international experience in planning, managing and directing humanitarian and development programmes and in guiding policy development and reviews. As an experienced development and humanitarian manager and advisor, he has taken on progressive res responsibility adapting quickly and thriving in various challenging and complex environments. His leadership ability is proven in a wide range of contexts and he is known for being able to quickly earn the trust of colleagues, partners and community members. He maintains a solid strategic vision, while never forgetting the importance of achieving real changes for the individuals amongst the communities being served.
In addition to management and director roles, Emmanuel has also been engaged in facilitating in-depth analyses and evaluation of programmes/ projects; advising communities, implementing agencies, donors and governments to ensure quality engagement in project cycle and other processes; leading strategy development; establishing accountability and quality management systems; assessing value for money; and promoting equitable partnerships. Emmanuel has a blend of leadership gift-mix which includes negotiation and diplomatic skills and he is an excellent and effective communicator (written & oral), Leader, Manager (of people, finances, information and other asset), Policy/ Strategy formulator and implementer, Coordinator, Negotiator, Fund-Raiser, Capacity/Team-Builder and Trainer of others in all cultural contexts. Emmanuel is fully computer literate.
Emmanuel has a Bachelors Degree in Business and Master of Science Degree in Development Economics from University of London.
Farmer, Society for Biotech Farmers of Kenya
Daniel Mugo Magondu is a Kenyan native born in 1954 within the precincts of Central Kenya's Kirinyaga County. Having received an education up to the O’ level, he proudly holds the East African Certificate of Education Division IV. His journey led him to the Kenya Police College, where he successfully graduated as a police constable, dedicating 17 diligent years in service to the Kenyan government. Subsequently, he embraced early retirement and embarked on a career in farming. As a modestly scaled farmer, he cultivates BT Cotton and maize.
In 2006, an important chapter in his life unfolded as he assumed the role of chairman for the Kirinyaga District Cotton Farmers Co-Operative Society. In this capacity, he orchestrated the convergence of farmer leaders, thus initiating the resurgence of cotton cultivation in Kirinyaga County. By 2008, his commitment and expertise were recognized as he was elected to represent Central Kenya's cotton farmers in the Cotton Development Authority. He served as a director in this capacity until 2013, when the cotton sub-sector underwent amalgamation with other government entities to form AFA.
In September of 2017, a significant opportunity arose as he participated in the Farmers Leadership Course conducted by the Cornell Alliance for Science Training. This transformative experience, held in Rock Island, Illinois, USA, equipped him with essential skills in communication, grassroots organizing, power mapping, and targeted strategies, which he seamlessly incorporated into his leadership of the Society for Biotechnology Farming of Kenya (SOBIFAK) as its chairman.
The year 2018 marked another milestone, as he represented Kenya as part of a delegation on a study tour to India. This enlightening excursion was organized by ISAAA Africenter in collaboration with the South Asia Biotechnology Centre, with the primary focus being on the acquisition of knowledge about insect-resistant Bt cotton. By 2020, the fruits of this knowledge were evident as BT cotton crops were sowed.
In 2022, his contributions were acknowledged and celebrated on an international stage. During the OFAB Day celebration in Accra, Ghana, Daniel Mugo Magondu was hailed as a biotechnology hero by the African Agricultural Technologies Foundation, further cementing his legacy in the field.
Farmer
Wiledio Naboho is an agricultural entrepreneur in Burkina Faso. From 2004 to 2012, he worked as a communicator at two radio stations. He is currently a full-time farmer in an impoverished village in Kindeni, Burkina Faso. In 2019, he was nominated for and attended a 3-month program at Cornell (University) Alliance for Science, as he is one of the few farmers in his country with English language skills and some formal education.
Research Officer, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Juneweenex Mbuthia is a Research Officer in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. Her research interests include agricultural economics, gender, policy research and analysis, impact evaluation, health economics, and development. Before joining IFPRI, she was an Economic Researcher at the Kenya Institute for Public Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) in Nairobi, Kenya. She also worked at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics as a field supervisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Karatina University and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi.
The African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT) 2023 themed, “Agricultural Resilience through Innovation” focuses on the centrality of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in fostering agricultural transformation on the continent. Join us from 30th October – 3rd November 2023 at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.
+254 20 422 3706
ACATDelegates@aatf-africa.org
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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.