Debo Akande is an Agribusiness Development Specialist based at the IITA headquarters in Nigeria. He is the CEO of IITA Business Incubation Limited and leads the Mechanization and the Zero Hunger programs. He combines the role with the position of Executive Adviser on Agribusiness and International Development Cooperation to a sub-national government of Oyo State, Nigeria, and doubles as the Director-General of the State Agribusiness Development Agency.

Prior to this, he was Head of Olusegun Obasanjo Station in Democratic Republic of Congo, the third largest IITA Research for Development station in Africa. He has led several agribusiness management portfolios which include the World Bank Integrated Project for Agricultural Growth (PICAGL) in the Great Lake of Africa and the AgResults Global Initiative, among others.

He has a Doctoral Degree in Business Administration from the University of Hertfordshire, the United Kingdom with a specialty on Agribusiness Strategy Development and Management. He also holds Masters and Bachelor’s degrees in International Development Studies from the United Kingdom and Diplomas in International Environmental Law at United Nation Institute for Training and Research, Switzerland. He was trained in Climate Change Management at the Oxford University, United Kingdom and Food Security Policy at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Managers Institute, United Kingdom.

He leads IITA Agribusiness management globally with a specific focus on public policy, new business development and private sector engagement in agribusiness for economic development.