WEBINAR 1: Private-sector engagement in commercialising innovations to improve food safety and nutrition

Abdou Konlambigue is a private sector development professional with more than 18 years of experience developing sustainable agricultural market systems, agricultural value chains, and innovative financing solutions. At IITA, he leads a multi-donor and multi-country effort to develop strategic partnerships between the public and private sector players to manufacture, market, and distribute Aflasafe products across Africa.

He joined IITA from the Alliance for a Green revolution in Africa (AGRA), where he was a Senior Program Officer and Technical lead Markets & Harvest Management. He led the co-creation and supervision of a diversified portfolio of investments focusing on inclusive agribusiness initiatives to improve access to seed and fertilizers and structured output markets systems to benefit smallholder farmers in several African countries. He has also worked in various roles at the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and as a consultant for various multilateral organizations.

Mr. Konlambigue holds a Master’s degree in Rural Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and an Engineer degree in Agronomy (Major: Agricultural Economics) from the University of Lomé’s School of Agronomy. He also graduated with an MBA from the Lancaster School of Management at the University of Lancaster.

Email: m.konlambigue@cgiar.org

Ranajit Bandyopadhyay is a Principal Scientist based in IITA–Ibadan, Nigeria, where he co-founded the Africa-wide Aflasafe initiative. Since 2003, he has been guiding research, development, technology transfer, commercialization and scaling-up of the aflatoxin biocontrol technology, Aflasafe, in 21 African countries. He holds a PhD in Plant Pathology from Haryana Agricultural University in India and has more than 40 years of agricultural research and development experience in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. He has received several international awards for his work.

Email: R.bandyopadhyay@cgiar.org

Dieudonné Baributsa is an Associate Professor of Entomology at Purdue University with more than 20 years of experience in international development. Dr Baributsa obtained his MSc and PhD from Michigan State University. He currently leads the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) Program, aimed at reducing grain postharvest losses on smallholder farms in developing countries. Dr Baributsa has managed more than USD 25 million funding to implement projects in 35 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. His activities are focused on applied research and innovative extension approaches to commercialize postharvest solutions in developing countries. His broad areas of interest include agricultural technology development/dissemination; commercialization of agricultural technologies; and digital innovations for technology scale-up.

Email: dbaribut@purdue.edu

Donald Mavindidze is the Africa Regional Director for HarvestPlus. He has more than 23 years’ experience in the agriculture sector in Africa of which 19 are with the private seed sector, where Donald held various leadership positions and worked throughout Africa. Donald transitioned into agriculture development in 2016, when he took up the role of Director of Commercialization at the African Agriculture Technology Foundation before joining HarvestPlus in 2018 as the Regional Director for Africa. Donald graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with honors in Crop Science. He also holds an ACCA Diploma in Financial Management and a Master’s in Business Leadership degree obtained from the School of Business Leadership- University of South Africa

Email: D.Mavindidze@cgiar.org

Marcella is Program Officer for Inclusive Markets on the Agricultural Development team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At the Gates Foundation, Marcella develops investments and partnerships with companies and non-profits developing innovations in technologies and business models that solve critical constraints for smallholder farmers in Africa and India. She also serves as Board Observer to agricultural data and technology company, CropIn. Prior to her time at the Foundation, Marcella was a management and strategy consultant with Accenture and Booz Allen Hamilton where she advised commercial, federal, and non-profit clients on issues of organizational strategy. She holds a Master of Public Policy in International Development from Duke University and a BA from Amherst College.

Email: Marcella.mcclatchey@gatesfoundation.org

Larry Cooley is Founder and President Emeritus of Management Systems International and a specialist in large system change. He currently serves as Chair of the Governing Council of the Society for International Development, Board Chair of World Learning, and Trustee of ELMA Philanthropies, and is the author of widely used methodologies for managing policy change, scaling innovation, and entrepreneurship development. He is an elected Fellow and Board Member of the US National Academy of Public Administration and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Mr Cooley is founder and curator of the Global Community of Practice on Scaling-up Development Outcomes. He holds graduate degrees in economics, public policy, and management from Columbia University, Princeton University, and the Cranfield School of Management.

Email: LCooley@msi-inc.com

Yared Sertse is a co-founder and General Manager Shayashone PLC engaged in agribusiness advisory, manufacturing and distribution of social-impact products. He is an MBA holder from Bradford University/TiasNimbas Business School. Yared has over 15 years’ experience in International Business, Research and Development organizations in Ethiopia and other countries in Africa. Since starting his own business in 2010, Yared has successfully managed to grow and diversify the business from mere consultancy business into manufacturing, distribution and export/import. Yared has strong leadership, networking and analytical skills with ability to listen and grasp ideas from wide-ranging perspectives. He is highly result-oriented, and has genuine sense of respect to others from working and leading experiences in cross-cultural teams. Yared has multi-industry experience – agriculture, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, brewery and others. He was a winner of ‘Shell Oil Products Africa President’s Award’. Yared is passionate about strategies to nurture businesses with triple bottom line impact, and to sustain business.

Email: Yared.sertse@shayashone.com

Martins Awofisayo started his career in UK as Recruiting Manager for the London Office of the Nigerian Universities Office from 1984 to 1987. He returned to Nigeria in 1987 and worked with Continental Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Lagos, as Operations Manager. He then rose to the position of Deputy General Manager in 1997 – a position he held until 2000. He established Harvestfield Industries Ltd in 2000 to market agrochemicals and public-health products in Nigeria. He is currently a Council Member of Croplife Nigeria and General Secretary, Insecticide Treated Nets Association of Nigeria. He graduated from the University of Lancaster with a Master’s degree in Business Analysis.

Email: Martins.awafisayo@harvestfield-ng.com

Bhubhinder Singh has over 37 years’ successful experience in sales, marketing and business management from a wide range of target population products to mass consumables; like health products, over-the-counter medicines, packaged water, fruit juices, bread, detergents, toothpaste, soft drinks, horticulture and agricultural products, across the spectrum of the Indian business terrain and 11 African countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Malawi and Zimbabwe). He graduated from Calcutta University in 1982 and is currently the Business Manager at A to Z Textile Mills Ltd, Arusha, Tanzania, since April 2013.

Email: bhubhinder@azpfl.com

Pelumi Aribisala is a versatile, seasoned and serial entrepreneur. He is a graduate of microbiology from Obafemi Awolowo University, IIe-Ife, Nigeria, with over 10 years’ experience in agribusiness and agricultural value-chain management, and food-system development. He is a Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Cato Foods where he works on product development and market linkages. He is also the Managing Director of Ogunmod Farms and Farmers Academy Ltd, where he was instrumental to the agribusiness curriculum development and practical training. He is also involved in youth empowerment and capacity building as he mentors young people across Africa to take up agriculture as a business through the National Youth Service Corps programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme. He has successfully trained over 30,000 people and mentored over 5,000 youths with many now running successful agribusiness ventures across the country.

Email: salas.ogunmodiiltd@gmail.com

Aggie Asiimwe Konde is the Vice President, Program Innovation and Delivery at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Aggie leads a specialized team of scientists and generalists across 11 AGRA countries in East, West and Southern Africa responsible for the strategic role of portfolio design & development, monitoring and implementation to achieve Agricultural transformation by 2030.

Aggie is a blue ocean enthusiast who is pragmatic, and results oriented with over 15 years’ experience across multiple private and public sector industries (Tobacco, Beverages, Multimedia, Textile & Apparel, Aquaculture and Agriculture) with diverse entrepreneurial expertise in leveraging innovative solutions that drive sustainable economic growth. She currently serves in different capacities on three active boards, Stanbic Holdings Uganda Ltd, Doctors Choice and Medaasi Investments Ltd.

Aggie is a social scientist who also holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool and has trained with the world-renown Springfield Centre in Market Systems Development. She is a pioneering student of the Global CEO Program (IESA -University of Navarra) and recently completed the Harvard Executive Business program and is a Fast Forward alumna class of 2020.

Email: akonde@agra.org