Ahsan Khan Chowdhury is the chairman and chief executive officer of PRAN RFL Group— the largest food and beverage brand in Bangladesh. The business conglomerate, established in 1981, pioneered agribusiness in Bangladesh by providing farmers with guaranteed prices. In 2008, the company announced plans to open a production facility in Tripura, India, after the Indian government lifted the ban on…
Type: Expert
Dr Lefulesele Lebesa is the Director of Agricultural Research in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Lesotho. She had her academic trainings at National University of Lesotho, the University of Pretoria, and the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE). Her research focuses on biodiversity and pest management for Food and Nutrition Security. She serves as the…
Type: Expert
Andrew Jarvis, Associate Director General of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Andy is a renowned scientist in the field of climate change and agriculture. He provides leadership support for the CGIAR center. Previously, he was Flagship Leader on the CGIAR Research Program for Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), based in Cali, Colombia. Andy has over 20 years…
Type: Expert
Hon. Minister Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka holds a BSc Agric (Hons) and a DPhil from the University of Zimbabwe/Oslo. He was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Rural Resettlement in August 2020. A technocrat with a very strong industrial and agricultural background, having been a forestry and agricultural researcher for 13 years with over 100 science publications and more than 15 books and…
Type: Expert
Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture (Crops), Ghana. Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo is currently the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture (Crops) and a Member of the 8th Parliament of Ghana after retaining his seat in the last general election in December 2020. In the 8th Parliament, he is a member of Committee on Poverty Reduction Strategy and, Environment, Science and…
Type: Expert
Nchakha Martin Makara, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Lesotho. Mr Makara is responsible for providing strategic direction for the Ministry. He holds an MSc in Agricultural Extension from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He has practical work experience of approximately two decades in the Lesotho’s Agricultural Sector where he served in the farmers…
Type: Expert
Simeon Ehui a national of Cote d’Ivoire, has been since July 1, 2019, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Sustainable Development for Africa and more recently since July 1, 2020, Regional Director for West and Central Africa covering agriculture, environment, social, water, urban and climate. His main responsibility, among other things, is to provide vision, coherence, and focus for…
Type: Expert
Ada Osakwe is the 2021 Forbes Africa Businesswoman of the Year. As an award-winning entrepreneur, investor and passionate African development advocate, she has a successful track record with 20 years’ experience in private equity investing, development finance, public policy and startup venture-building. She is Managing Partner of Agrolay Ventures, a principal investment firm that deploys capital…
Type: Expert