WEBINAR 3: Shaping the future development and commercialisation of innovations to improve food safety and nutrition in the context of food-system transformation

Elizabeth Nsimadala is a Ugandan young agriprenuer, the President of the Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO) and the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF). She was recently appointed on the Advisory Committee for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, serves on the Global Steering Committee for Forest Farm Facility (FFF), is a Governing Council member for Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) and sits on the Steering Committee of Pan Africa Agribusiness Apex Chamber (PAAAC), among others. She is a passionate cooperator who with others spearheaded the push to have the regional law on cooperatives – The East Africa Cooperative Societies Bill 2015 through the East Africa Legislative Assembly – which awaits assent by the East African Community Heads of State. Elizabeth is also a farmer champion who has been at the forefront of championing farmer-led agriculture technology and innovation through EAFF’s farmer-owned eGranary mobile initiative that virtually aggregates farmers for input, service and output markets. As a result of her efforts in supporting farmer organizations, she was globally recognized by the World Farmers Organization as one of the women contributing to sustainable development.

Ibrahim Gourouza occupies is the Chief Operations Officer for Grow Africa, within the African Union Development Agency (AUDA–NEPAD) since 2017. His overall responsibilities include providing strategic direction for the daily operations of the Grow Africa Programme and projects, as well as identification and building of partnerships between Grow Africa and relevant stakeholders. Ibrahim also serves as the Head of the AUDA–NEPAD’s Private Sector Engagement Unit which aims to create a comprehensive approach for engaging the private sector in pursuing Africa’s development agenda. In this role, he oversees the implementation of the Country Agribusiness Partnership Framework (CAP-F) in 16 countries on the continent. CAP-F is a tool that aims to supplement National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) in African countries by stimulating private investments. Through CAP-F, Grow Africa has mobilized in the region of USD 450 million in private-sector investment in several African countries, in 2019 and 2020.

Prior to the above, Ibrahim occupied the position of Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency.

He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from Institut d’Etude Politique of Toulouse, France, and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and Strategy from CEDS, Paris.

Email: AugustinW@nepad.org

John McDermott joined IFPRI in late 2011 to lead the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), led by IFPRI. Previously he was Deputy Director General and Director of Research at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). McDermott has lived and worked in Africa for 25 years.

As a researcher, McDermott’s research career has focused on public health, animal health and livestock research in developing countries, primarily Africa. He has led projects on zoonotic and emerging diseases in Asia and Africa. McDermott has a strong background in quantitative methods (modeling, study design, statistics). He has authored or co-authored 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and conference papers, advised over 30 post-graduate students, including 20 PhD graduates and served as an advisor to FAO, WHO, OIE, and other international agencies.

Email: J.McDermott@cgiar.org

Rafael Flor is a Senior Program Officer in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Agricultural Development team. He has 20 years of progressive work experience in international development. He has held positions with the Rockefeller Foundation, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Armajaro Trading (now Ecom Trading), the MDG Centre | West & Central Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, and Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Zamorano. Mr. Flor has served as a member of the World Food Programme’s Working Group on Productive Safety Nets, the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Hunger, Peer Reviewer of the 2006 Environmental Performance Index, and the Danish Think Tank on Prevention of Food Loss and Waste’s Advisory Panel. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Escuela Agrícola Panamerica, Zamorano.

Email: rafael.flor@gatesfoundation.org