The Researchers of TASAI

Dr. Abdalla Dao is a plant breeder at Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), a national agricultural research institute. He conducts research and development on maize, wheat, and quinoa, with focus on yield improvement, disease resistance, adaptability to climate change, and genetic diversity. He coordinates the production of maize early generation seeds at INERA. Abdalla collaborates with national and international seed companies in his research as well as governmental organizations to test new maize varieties. He trains maize seed growers and postgraduate students in agronomy. Abdalla is a Mandela Washington fellow for Young African Leaders Initiative and Borlaug fellow. He completed his Ph.D in Plant Breeding from the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Abdias Niangisi Utono is an agronomist. And an expert in agricultural entrepreneurship and development of lucrative projects / business plan.He was awarded the title of expert in agricultural entrepreneurship and in the development of lucrative projects, within the MASHAV center in Israel, 2016. He has more than a decade of experience in implementing crops that improve subsistence farmers revenue. Working with crop adaptation research and seed production projects (case of IITA, USAID, NGOs.), He has acquired a proven experience in the seed production sector (and in the implementation of crop trials). Utono served as the agriculture advisor to the Governor of the former Bandundu Province from 2012 to 2014. He managed the largest project in the former Bandundu province, which consisted of supporting farm households in the villages with the following crops: maize, rice, groundnuts, cowpeas and cassava. He was also a manager at the Agricultural Department of the American NGO TIFIE Humanitarian and the Catholic Religious Congregation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and served as the chief enlightenment officer of the consulting and agricultural services company (ECOSAC). He obtained his engineering degree in 2004 at the University of Kinshasa, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences with a major in Crop Production.

Abdirahman Haji is an agricultural expert with over 10 years of experience in the seed sector. He has held various roles, including Field Officer, Agronomist, and Team Leader, working with humanitarian organizations such as SHACDO and Swisso-Kalmo. Throughout his career, he has led initiatives to enhance local agricultural production and strengthen the capacity of farmers by promoting effective and climate-adaptive farming practices. His humanitarian work has focused on resilience-building in emergency contexts, where he has supported smallholder farmers through seed provision, access to agricultural inputs, and specialized training in sustainable farming techniques across Somalia. Abdirahman has also worked with Darusalam Seed Company, one of Somalia’s oldest seed producers, where he led efforts to improve the local Maize-Somtux variety and expand the company’s market reach through strategic partnerships.

Currently, as a Senior Field Researcher at Axiom Monitoring and Evaluation Ltd, Abdirahman specializes in monitoring and evaluating agricultural projects, with a particular emphasis on the seed sector. He has contributed to key projects, including SOMSEED, CBME, and EDACS—implemented by FAO, IOM, and the European Union through Concern Worldwide. His expertise spans field data collection, market assessment, and research survey design, and he has played a critical role in external project evaluations, providing data-driven insights and recommendations to stakeholders.

He holds a master’s degree in project management from Open University Malaysia and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science from Benadir University, Mogadishu.

Adama KEÏTA has worked at all levels of the hierarchy in the administration of the base as a regional seed inspector in functions at the national level as National Manager of seeds of various species (millet, corn sorghum, rice and cowpea). He has knowledge of the actors of the seed value chain in Senegal but also and above all of the ECOWAS seed regulations, which he had to popularize with the said actors, within the framework of the Seed Program for West Africa. (WASP), a five-year program funded by USAID; he held the position of Senegalese national seed specialist. A graduate of the National School of Rural Executives (ENCR) in Bambey, Senegal, Adama KEÏTA capitalizes on 45 years of professional experience in local development in general, and more particularly in agriculture. He has been working in the sector since 1981.

Adesanya Oluwatoyin is a seed expert with over 8 years of experience in agricultural research and development, science and technology as well as industry. Presently, Adesanya is a senior researcher at National Cereals Research Institute Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria.She has extensively researched on cereals and pulses specifically rice, soybean, sesame, acha, sugarcane and castor. Her expertise is in grain quality testing, seed purity testing, grading and quality control, seed trials and grain production. She has also contributed towards food security in Nigeria through management, production and distribution of high-quality seed and her participation in several national and international agricultural policy dialogues on seed development, crop improvement and productivity. She has widely trained on Plant Variety Protection, Quality Maize Seed Production and Marketing, Integrated Rice Management, Breeder seed production and Agri-Business. She is a member of the Association of Seed Scientists of Nigeria, Agricultural Society of Nigeria and Genetic Society of Nigeria. She holds a BSc in Agribusiness Management from Onabanjo University, an MSc in Crop production and protection from Obafemi Awolowo University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Crop Production and Protection at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.

Mr. Adou Y. Angelo Kramogo is a seasoned professional in the seed industry, currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Department of Seeds and Plants at the Ministry of Agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire since September 2023. His responsibilities encompass overseeing seed quality control, certification, and the implementation of seed regulations. Additionally, he plays a pivotal role in the approval process for plant varieties, overseeing activities such as Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) Testing, as well as Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) examinations. Mr. Kramogo also holds a position on the National Plant Seed Committee and leads research efforts for Côte d’Ivoire’s TASAI 2024 study. He graduated from the UFR Agronomy and Forestry at Jean Lorougnon Guede University of Daloa in Côte d’Ivoire, earning a master’s degree in Biological Sciences and Improvement of Plant Production.

Mr. Aiah Ngaujah has over 25 years’ experience in agricultural research and development (ARD) and in teaching stakeholders in quality rice seed production and colleagues and field technicians in the analyses of agronomic data using the GenStat Statistical Software. He is a rice breeder at Sierra Leone’s Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI). He also serves as AfricaRice BTF Focal Point and Coordinator of Africa-Wide Rice Breeding Task Force rice breeding activities in Sierra Leone. He worked as Project Manager and Coordinator of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He also served as the National Seed Expert for the Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF)-African Development Bank (AfDB) sponsored Sierra Leone AgriBusiness Rice Value Chain Support (SLARiS) Project, Moyamba, Sierra Leone. Mr. Ngauja has also contributed to several publications. He holds a BSc. in Agriculture General (1986/87) and an M.Sc in Crop Science (2002/3) from the University of Njala, Sierra Leone.

Alaric Mienwipia serves as Assistant Director, Department of Regional Development, Research and Extension, Ministry of Agriculture, Liberia. He works to enhance farmers and other extension agents’ knowledge and is also interested in crop improvement and soil conservation as a way of sustainably managing the environment. . He has more than nine years of experience as an entrepreneur, extension agent, agronomist, and farmer as well as a lecturer at the University of Liberia. Alaric holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in general agriculture from the University of Liberia, and a Master of Philosophy Degree in Crop Science (Agronomy) from the University of Ghana.

Ms. Alda Tomo is a Mozambican researcher and consultant based in Maputo with interests in socio-economic issues in the wide field of development and sustainability, with particular focus on social and economic aspects linked to agriculture, natural resources, and environment. With over 15 years working as a socio-economic analyst at the Socio-Economic Studies Center (CESE), Institute for Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM) and an independent consultant, Ms. Tomo has extensive experience in designing, implementing and monitoring research and development projects. Ms. Tomo has been engaged in conducting surveys and carrying out socio-economic research in a wide range of topics in the field of agriculture and natural resources management, including socio-economic evaluation and impact assessment of development interventions, natural resources management, vulnerability studies, gender studies, institutional and policy analysis, value chains studies, climate smart agriculture, climate change and environmental studies. Ms Tomo is knowledgeable in both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, development of data collection tools and usage of analytical tools such as Stata, SPSS, Nvivo, among others. She is an Adam Smith fellow and a Don Lavoie fellow, both at Mercatus Center, George Mason University, USA. She holds a Masters’ degree in Agricultural and Resources Economics from Michigan State University, USA, and a bachelor’s degree in Agronomic Engineering from Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique. She is currently finalizing her doctoral studies in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management at the University of York, UK.

Mr. Alfred N. Mutundi is a seed specialist working with the National Seed Service (SENASEM) DRCongo. He is a consultant with international NGOs for DRC Seed System Improvement and as a Seed System expert. He is part of North-Kivu Commission for DRC Seed law amendment and improvement. Currently, Alfred N. Mutundi is pursuing the Accelerating Genetic Gains (AGG) – Maize Project Early Career Maize Breeding Course with CIMMYT and IITA. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Crop Production (Crop Science Major) from the University of Goma North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Alfred was a beneficiary of a Masters Scholarship from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) through the Capacity Building in Plant Breeding, Seed Technology for Improved Food and Nutritional Security in Eastern Africa project; he pursued a Master of Science Degree in Seed Technology and Business Management at the University of Nairobi, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (CAVS), Kenya.

Mr. Alphonce Temu is an independent agronomist and consultant working with medium and small-scale farmers in Tanzania. He conducts training on various agricultural topics including land management, soil health, seed selection and management, crop protection, irrigation, among other topics. Part of the training usually entails setting up demonstration farmers (farmers field school). Mr. Temu has conducted consultancy assignments on behalf of several organizations including SCOTTS, a Dutch fertilizer company in Holland, Dow Agroscience, a US company dealing in crop protection, Russell IPM UK, a Biopesticides company, Triachem Tanzania Ltd, among others. Mr. Temu is a member of the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA) and the Tanzania Coffee Association (TCA).

Amina Osman is an agricultural researcher with over a decade of experience in seed systems, agribusiness, and value chain analysis. She currently serves as the Director of Research and Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia, where she leads initiatives in agricultural research, policy development, and food security.

Previously, Amina worked with the Somali Agriculture Technical Group (SATG) as a field researcher, conducting variety trials on key crops such as maize, sorghum, mung bean, cowpea, and sesame. Her research focused on improving yields, enhancing drought tolerance, and strengthening resistance to pests and diseases, utilizing germplasm from leading international research institutions, including CIMMYT, the World Vegetable Center, and ICRISAT. She also served as Head of Seed Quality Control at the Somali Agricultural Regulatory and Inspection Services (SARIS), where she played a pivotal role in revitalizing Somalia’s formal seed sector. She led efforts to strengthen regulatory frameworks, ensuring farmers had access to high-quality, certified seeds. Amina spearheaded the development and implementation of Somalia’s seed certification system and agricultural laboratory standards, reinforcing quality control measures and regulatory compliance across the sector. With expertise in seed systems, agribusiness, food security, climate-smart agriculture, and value chain development, Amina continues to drive transformative reforms that enhance the resilience and long-term sustainability of Somalia’s agricultural sector.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science from Benadir University, Mogadishu, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.

Astere Bararyenya is a research scientist at National Agriculture Research institute with over 16 years of experience in agricultural research and development. His focus is in potato and sweet potato breeding and variety release. Mr.Bararyenya is passionate about improving smallholder farming systems. He has contributed to several publications on Burundi’s seed industry including the Burundi seed sector development assessment and the seed entrepreneurship assessment. He was instrumental in the development of the Burundi seed policy and regulation protocols. Mr.Bararyenya has led several research projects on enhancing small-scale seed quality at local and regional levels. Astere holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences and Engineering from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) and is currently finalizing his PhD research in plant breeding and biotechnology at Makerere University.

Dr. Bezabih serves as the General Manager of Hedbez Business PLC (since 2006). Previously, he served as the Vice president at Haramaya University, Deputy Director of Research at Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (2004-2005). He has extensive experience in food security, integrated rural development, agribusiness and value chain development, market studies, institutional studies (cooperatives, microfinance), project designing and evaluation works, natural resources management, climate smart agriculture, gender analysis, WASH projects, seed, vulnerability studies, and policy analysis. He has been involved in multiple agriculture-related consultancy projects across Africa in countries such as Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda. He has conducted assignments for organizations including Sasakawa Africa, Oxfam America, Oxfam GB, Save the Children, USAID, United National Development Program, World Food Program, Action Aid, World Bank, Federal Cooperative Agency, IFPRI, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. Dr. Bezabih holds a Doctorate in Agricultural Economics.

Mr. Brian Chisunka is a Senior Seeds Officer at the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) under the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia. He is a specialist in plant variety testing and seed quality control. Currently based in the biotechnology laboratory within the Variety Testing Section, he is responsible for plant variety fingerprinting and the assessment of seed lots for the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). His work also involves conducting Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) and Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) evaluations. Earlier in his career, Mr. Chisunka served in the Seed Testing Section as a Seed Pathologist from 2006 to 2009, when he first joined SCCI. He also contributed as a consultant in developing seed testing standards for variety assessment and control growing under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science from the University of Zambia (UNZA) obtained in 2005, and a Master of Science in Plant Science in Plant Pathology and Entomology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, earned in 2013.

Mr. Canuth Komba has 16 years of experience in the public seed sector, currently engaged in farming business and consulting on matters of seed. Formerly, he was the Head of Seed Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for overseeing all matters related to seed policy and regulation. He also served as the Secretary of the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) and National Seed Committee (NSC). Between 2013 and 2015, he served in the capacity of Assistant Director of Agricultural Inputs in the Ministry of Agriculture, supervising subsidies, and managing inputs. Mr. Komba participated in the harmonization of Seed Standards in East Africa Community (EAC) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) regions. He also participated in International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) workshops in the Technical Working Party for Agricultural Crops organized by various UPOV country members. He was also a member for various Boards of Directors in the country such as: Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI) between 2012 and 2018, Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA) between 2016 and 2018 as well as Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) between 2016 and 2018. Mr. Komba holds a Bsc. Horticulture from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Tanzania and Msc. Agriculture Science majoring in Seed Science and Seed Technology from Lincoln University, New Zealand.

Chris Ibyisintabyo has over 16 years’ experience in rural development, he has worked with private agricultural companies, agricultural projects, farmers organizations and private sector-based agribusiness associations. Chris is currently working with Uganda seed Trade association as the Executive Secretary. He worked for the tobacco industry in Uganda for 5 years both at field and at middle management level. He worked with Uganda National Agro Input Dealer’s Association for more than 3 years, where he was the programs/agribusiness officer under the AGRA funded project and the Agro dealers Strengthening Network project for Uganda. He holds a diploma in Agribusiness and Export Management from Galilee College, Israel, a Post Graduate Diploma in Procurement and Supply chain management from Uganda Management Institute a BSc in Agriculture (Agric Economics) from Makerere University and master’s in Business administration (Executive MBA degree) at Eastern and Southern African Management Institute

Prof. Asanzi works with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Kinshasa. He has over 40 years of experience in agricultural research and development through the distribution of improved crop technologies (varieties and cultural practices), teaching and management. He dedicated 14 years to maize research focusing on integrated pest management, disease control and seed multiplication. Christophe worked with World Vision International in several management positions for over 19 years. He was instrumental in the design and implementation of research and capacity building programs that benefited research technicians, extension agents and small holder farmers in South Sudan, Angola, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was involved in emergency response programs to save life and rehabilitate agricultural infrastructure in order to build resilience against future shocks to food security. He also served as the food security and livelihoods advisor to South Sudan and worked as a consultant with AGRA, managing a seed system development program in Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, he also served as a professor at the Faculty of Agronomy at the National Pedagogical University, DRC. . Prof. Asanzi holds a PhD in Entomology-Plant Pathology with several professional papers and publications to his name.

Dr. Clement Urinzwenimana is a plant breeder and seed expert. He has worked in various agriculture organizations in Rwanda and published five papers in peer-reviewed journals, which found that the use of improved seed can scale up agricultural production. He is a member of National Variety Release committee and Principal advisor of National Seed Association of Rwanda. He was awarded a BSc in Agriculture and Rural Development with specialization in crop production by the University of Rwanda in 1998. He holds two MSc degrees- in Seed Science and Technology from Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Science, Allahabad, India and another in Agribusiness management from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University, Tripura, India.He received his PhD in plant breeding from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 2016.

Deborah Bala is a seasoned trainer, researcher, agronomist and plant breeder with over 25 years of practical experience. Currently, she is the Principal Agricultural Officer at the North West Region of National Agricultural Seeds Council.Her expertise is in seed testing, seed multiplication, seed distribution and training. She taught agricultural science and was for 4 years the Head of Science, Technical and Vocational Department at St. Mary’s College, Lagos. She also offered her expertise as a resource person and trainer at several seed workshops and conferences in Nigeria. Deborah served as the Agronomist and Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the African Groundnut Council, Kano. She holds an MSc in Plant Breeding and BSc in Agriculture – Agronomy from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

Professor Ajayi is an agricultural science and development expert with more than 25 years’ teaching, research, and management experience. He is an acknowledged research leader on seed systems, agricultural innovations and enterprise development, climate impacts, value chain analysis, agricultural policy dialogue and mentorship of early career researchers. He has participated in several national and continental agricultural policy dialogues and regularly facilitates national stakeholders’ meetings on seed sector development, improving crop productivity and increasing farmers’ income. He has also managed several projects for national, regional and international organizations like the National Agricultural Seed Council, West and Central African Council for Research and Development, the United Nations Development Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Women, GIZ/AFC International, Winrock International/United States Agency for International Development and Catholic Relief Services, among many others. He has trained several masters, doctoral, and postdoctoral students.

Dr. Claid Mujaju serves as the Head of Seed Services Institute of Zimbabwe in charge of Seed Certification and Control, Variety Release System and Registrar of Plant Breeders’ Rights. Claid has contributed to agriculture and seed sector development through participating in bringing acceptance of seed policy harmonization to regional member states within SADC and training seed industry personnel during formal training workshops. He has been a resource person in areas of genetic resources and seed systems for regional and international organizations. He has consulted widely on seed systems with AFSTA, COMESA, ICRISAT, FANRPAN, FAO etc. He published many research papers on genetic diversity and seed systems and has an ever-growing passion in harmonization of seed policies. Claid holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Mathematics and Biological Sciences from University of Zimbabwe, an M.Sc. in Systematics and Biodiversity from University of Cape Town and Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences specializing in Crop Production and Product Quality from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Dr. Hortense Mafouasson Apala is a plant breeder at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), the National Agricultural Research institute of Cameroon. She conducts research activities with focus on developing high yielding maize and beans varieties with resistance to biotic stress and tolerance to abiotic stress, as well with high nutritional quality to address malnutrition. She coordinates production of Early Generation Seed (EGS) of maize and beans at IRAD. She is a national and regional Seed Expert and represents the institute in several National and Regional Committees. Hortense trains maize and beans seed growers and postgraduate students in agronomy. She works closely with seed companies such as SEEDCO and LIMAGRAIN in testing their varieties in Cameroon. She is an expert on Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) test. She is an alumnus of the African Plant Breeding Academy and the Australian AWARDS. Hortense holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from West African Center for Crop Improvement at the University of Ghana-Legon.

Dr. Luka A. O Awata is Plant Breeder and Seed Systems Specialist in the Directorate of Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in South Sudan. Luka joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as Assistant Research Scientist at Palotaka Basic Seeds Centre, South Sudan in 2006. He is currently a senior research scientist and head of maize breeding program in MAFS, with broad responsibilities including maize improvement and release, seed system development, and as well as collaboration with national and regional stakeholders in South Sudan. Within the past 14 years, Luka has been actively involved in breeding for improvement of major staple crops such as maize, rice, sorghum and cassava, which lead to release of improved varieties to farmers in South Sudan. He implemented several crop improvement projects including “Breeding maize for the South Sudan Greenbelt: germplasm collection, evaluation & breeding Base population development” under the 2011PASS057 project funded by Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) from 2012-2015. Luka was involved in maize improvement activities through “Integrated Management of Maize Lethal Necrosis in Eastern and Central Africa” program under the ASARECA/SAF/01 project funded by ASARECA from 2015-2016. He was a principal investigator for a project “Foundation seed production in South Sudan: Towards capacitating seed companies for improved seed production for enhanced crop yield and food security” in South Sudan through funding from AGRA from 2017-2019. Currently, he is implementing a Seed Systems Group (SSG) funded project “Building Back Better: Rural Livelihoods Recovery Initiative for the Greater Horn of Africa – South Sudan”. Dr. Luka has published a number of scientific articles.

Dr. Marnus Gouse is a researcher at the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), a research unit conducting market and policy driven research in South and Southern Africa, in association with the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch. He joined BFAP following a Gates Foundation supported Post-Doc fellowship in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria, where he completed his PhD in 2012. Collaborating with and supported by various international research institutions and development and funding agencies, Marnus has spent most of his research and academic life studying the actual and potential socio-economic and farm-level impacts of genetically modified crops, with special focus on resource poor farmers. Marnus has been invited to various international conferences and seminars to present his research findings and experience and to contribute to several edited and peer reviewed books on agricultural biotechnology and its impacts and applications. Marnus’ publications have been widely read and cited – in February 2017 he had an h-index score of 13 and an i10-index score of 17.

Dr. Momoh Turay is a seed systems expert and Director of the Sierra Leone Seed Certification Agency. He has contributed to seed sector development in Sierra Leone by championing the drafting and enacting of the Sierra Leone Seed Bill into law. He has developed manuals for seed certification and accreditation, phytosanitary certification, and variety release and registration. Dr. Turay is also in charge of the variety release system and Registrar of the Variety Release and Registration Committee, where he succeeded in developing the National Catalogue of Crop Varieties. He is also the Secretary to the National Seed Board of Sierra Leone which is responsible for providing policy guidance and overall performance of the Seed Certification Agency. He holds a BSc in Botany with honors from the University of Sierra Leone, an MSc in Crop Science from Njala University, Sierra Leone and a PhD in Seed Science from the University of Reading, United Kingdom.

Dr. Paul Senghor is an Agronomist, specialized in Genetics and Plant Breeding. He is the director of his consulting bureau in developing and implementing harmonized regional seed regulations. He worked for 10 years, as a researcher in the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA), and more than 20 years on emerging issues of intellectual property related to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture at The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations (FAO), the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), and several USAID-funded regional seed programs, in Africa. Dr. Senghor is a co-author of the regional ECOWAS seed regulations and expert in seed policy and advocacy. He is also the Key Expert for the development of the Regional West Africa and the Sahel Catalogues of Plant Species and Varieties. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Paris XII, Orsay, France and Doctorate qualification from the University of Novi-Sad, in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Dr. Sifolo S. Coulibaly is an Associate Professor at Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University in Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire. Since 2019, he has been the Head of the African Company of Agricultural Expertise and Consultancy (AFRICA-AGRECO), which provides agricultural advisory services and specializes in seed production, particularly for rice and maize. In April 2023, he was appointed General Secretary of the Union of Seed Companies of Côte d’Ivoire (USSEM-CI). Dr. Coulibaly’s expertise extends to developing sustainable systems for livestock manure management, air and water quality control engineering, and livestock odor emission control technologies. His research focuses on improving soil fertility, residue management, and crop productivity, with an emphasis on rice, maize, and garden crops. He coordinates six projects in northern Côte d’Ivoire aimed at empowering women by improving garden crop productivity through vermicomposting in the context of climate change. Dr. Coulibaly holds a PhD in Agro-ecology from the University of Nangui Abrogoua in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Dr. Edgar Traore is a Research Associate with the National Agriculture Research Institute in Burkina Faso (INERA). As the principal rice breeder, his research activities are focused on developing new high-yielding, disease-resistant rice varieties with good grain quality as well as developing high-yielding and nutritious okra varieties to address hidden hunger (malnutrition) in Africa. He works as a seed expert with the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in the Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program for Sub-Saharan Africa (SAPEP). His role in the project is to supervise INERA breeders in the process of rapid approval of new crop varieties adapted to SAPEP intervention areas. He also supervises the breeders’ activities to produce early generation seed and foundation seed in partnership with private seed companies. Dr. Edgar holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from West African Center for Crop Improvement at the University of Ghana-Legon.

Dr. Watson Mwale is a senior seed technology expert with over 37 years of experience. Skilled in program design, coordination and management, he has developed strategic partnerships between the seed industry and setting up engagement platforms at the national level. Apart from having served as the Director of the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute, he has also worked as a consultant for USAID, FAO, World Bank and the Gates Foundation in Zambia. He also serves on the board of Musika Development Initiatives Company that promotes markets and trade in agriculture in Zambia.

Dr. Wynand van der Walt is a consultant in agricultural biotechnology and has published widely on the biotechnology and seed systems in South Africa. He assisted in the formation of the South African National Seed Organization (SANSOR) in 1989 and served as its General Manager for 10 years. In February 2000, Dr. van der Walt changed his role to SANSOR Project Manager and kept busy as director of both the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) and AfricaBio. He is now an Honorary Life Member of AFSTA. He also worked as a civil servant with the Department of Agricultural Technical Services in South Africa. Walt received his PhD in genetics from the University of Wisconsin, U.S.A.

Emmanuel Mubagizi is a Seed Business Advisor, part time lecturer at Makerere University, College of Agriculture and Environmental sciences and trainer in the private sector and Board member Uganda National Agro Dealers Association in Uganda. He has over 30 years of balanced experience in agricultural extension, farm business management, marketing, logistics and administration of agricultural entities ranging from agricultural extension, warehousing and logistics, agricultural commodity processing, seed value chains development in Uganda, farmers associations and agro input dealer training including agribusiness and seed technology curriculum development. Emmanuel has worked as Extension officer in the Ministry of Agriculture in Uganda (ten years), Produce Marketing Board (a government parastatal as silo manager) (nine years) and Private sector seed industry in Uganda (eleven years). Emmanuel holds an MSc Seed Technology and Business degree from Iowa State University, a B.Sc. Agriculture (Hons.) from Makerere University, and a Diploma in Business Management. He has also participated in various professional short courses related to agricultural development.

Ernest Vyizigiro is a researcher with Burundi National Agricultural Research Institute with over 10 years’ experience in agricultural research and development. He serves as the head of Gisozi Regional Research Station and manages the potato research program. He has designed, implemented, and monitored several agricultural projects and worked with farmers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector on seed value chain initiatives. He worked with the National Biotechnology Laboratory at Gisozi Research Station for four years as the head of research on vegetatively propagated crops including potato, cassava, sweet potato, banana and taro. He has a bachelor’s in biotechnology from Mostaganem University (Algeria) and has attended professional training on seed systems in Belgium and Kenya. He has also attended professional training in the use of nuclear techniques in agriculture mutation breeding and nutrient management. He holds a master’s degree in crop science from Makerere University, Uganda.

Esther Mujuka has worked as a consultant for the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and SNV, assessing the potential economic impact of integrated pest management and AgroNets. She has also worked for the Ministry of Agriculture as an agribusiness officer, coordinating the implementation of agribusiness related projects including the national seed and fertilizer subsidy program under the National Accelerated Agricultural Input Access Program in Kenya. Mujuka has considerable experience in economic analysis of development projects targeting rural households particularly for crop protection. She has published on the economic impact of integrated pest management in Kenya. Esther is currently pursuing her PhD in Agricultural Economics at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr. Wordofa has more than 19 years of experience in the design, planning and implementation of development and humanitarian projects related to the seed sector, nutrition and food security, agriculture, climate change, humanitarian drought response, agribusiness and marketing. He has played a key role in the coordination of agriculture clusters and served as the Co-Chair of the Emergency Seed Working Group under the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr. Wordofa holds a masters’ degree in Agronomy from Haramaya University in Ethiopia and has received certificates and training in seed security, humanitarian reliefs, climate change and rural development from institutions in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Filbert Mzee is an agriculturalist who specializes in the horticulture sector, addressing issues related to pest management, seed management, and crop nutrition. He has worked with various companies including Balton Tanzania Ltd, Suba Agro Ltd, Lachlan Tanzania Ltd, International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and ACDI/VOCA. He is a member of several associations including the Tanzania Agro-Dealers Association (TANADA), Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), Horticultural Professionals Association of Tanzania (HOPAT) and Crop Life. Mr. Mzee holds a degree in Horticulture and an MBA in Corporate Management.

Dr. Firmin Mizambwa has 27 years’ experience in both irrigated and dryland tropical agriculture farming systems, encompassing research, consultancy services, farmer training and commercial crop production under both large-scale and smallholder Agriculture. He has specialist knowledge in the fields of seed systems, soil and irrigation agronomy as well as extension/farmer training and advisory services in various crop value chains. Crops of major experience include tropical grain crops (such as maize, wheat, rice and sorghum), cassava, legumes, oil seeds, tea, coffee and sugarcane. Dr. Mizambwa also has experience in working with both public and private agricultural sectors. He also has management experiences at a Senior level, including management of both human and financial resources. He holds a PhD in Agriculture from Cranfield University, U.K.

Folarin Okelola is an agricultural seed science and development expert with more than 14 years of experience in seed industry coordination and management. He has vast knowledge and technical experience on seed systems, agricultural innovations and enterprise development, private sector coordination, value chain management, research management, and agricultural seed policy formulation. He has focused his career in improvement of crop productivity through seed technologies, seed industry development, private sector engagement in seed business and promotion of the introduction of Plant Variety Protection (PVP) in Nigeria. Folarin has participated in several national and continental agricultural policy dialogues and regularly facilitates national stakeholders’ meetings on seed sector development. He has also managed several agricultural projects for national, regional and international organizations serving with the Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria, the National Agricultural Seeds Council, and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in different capacities. He is well trained in the field of seed technology.

Dr. Francisco Miti (RIP) served as the Chief Seeds Officer at the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) of the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia. He was responsible for variety testing, registration and protection in Zambia and was also a contact on OECD Seed Schemes in his country. Francisco joined SCCI in 1991 where he served in various capacities. He headed all the three technical sections of SCCI namely: Variety Testing, Registration and Protection; Seed Systems and Inspections, and; Seed Testing. Between 1999 and 2004 when he served as the country’s Seed Quality Assurance Manager and ensured that seed services were provided in accordance with international standards. He was a Part-time lecturer for MSc courses in Seed Systems, and Seed Science. He obtained a BSc Agricultural Science Degree at the University of Zambia in 1990, Master of Science Degree in Seed Technology from Edinburgh University in 1997 and PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa in 2008.

Mr. SALAMI Issoufou (B.Agric) is Agronomist trained in Ahmadu Bello University of Zaria Nigeria. He is currently the Coordinator of INRAN Seed Unit in which capacity he develops and submits the annual programs of breeder and foundation seed production activities to the technical committee of the Unit. In collaboration with breeders of the different crops, he coordinates and participates to breeder and foundation seed production activities for different crops (millet, sorghum, maize, rice, cowpea, peanuts, sesame, onion, etc.). He also participates in the development of the National Catalog of Plant Species and Varieties (CNEV) and the draft seed law based on Niger’s seed policy and the National seed plan. He also has experience in crop protection (Phytopathology and entomology). He was the head of INRAN’s research station in Konni for six (6) years from August 2004 to August 2010 where he participated in several experiments (breeding, agronomy, soil science etc) on different crops in collaboration with the various researchers from INRAN and ICRISAT. He supervised students in the field of entomology, agronomy crop improvement and seed production. He has also trained farmers of the irrigated perimeter of Konni 1 and 2 in agronomy and wheat seed production techniques. He was also assistant and coordinator of the ICARDA SARD-SC wheat project from 2013 to 2016 for the promotion of wheat cultivation in Niger, in order to reduce wheat flour imports. Has around 21 years working experiences on seed system development.

John Wobil has over 30 years of experience working with the Grains and Legumes Development Board, the organization that was until recently, the only entity responsible for production of foundation seeds in Ghana. John served as Executive Director for about 10 years where he provided oversight on seed conditioning activities for private seed producers and provision of storage facilities for private seed entities. He was also engaged in several trials on cereal and legume crops in several parts of Ghana. John also served on the Management Board of Crops Research Institute as well as the Steering Committees of several donor funded projects. He was educated at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and Reading University in the United Kingdom.

Kennedy Oyugi serves as the Program Officer in charge of policy advocacy at the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum. Previously, he was the Cooperatives Officer for the Government of Kenya in addition to providing short term consultancy services such as socio-economic impact assessments, farmer training. He was the rapporteur for the Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) at their 2018 Annual Congress. Kennedy has also worked in the Kenyan agricultural sector for over 15 years and has been part of Kenyan TASAI consultancy team since 2014. Kennedy holds MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics and BSc in Agriculture.

Seed scientist and technologist, LIMAN SOULEY Abdoul Karim has around 20 years working experience in seed system development. He was responsible of seed regulation division and later the acting Director of Seed Control and Certification within the Ministry of Agriculture and as such actively participated in the development and implementation of regional and national seed regulations in Niger and in West Africa at large. He developed many training modules on seed production procedures, quality control and certification, harvest and post-harvest operations and seed marketing for seed growers, seed distributors and marketers. He worked with many NGOs in assessing seed systems` security which led to the establishment of locally integrated seed systems. He is currently working with the ICRISAT regional gene bank in Niamey as scientific officer in charge of training and regulatory aspects.

Dr. Mamadou Ndiaye specializes in agronomy (on-farm diagnostics, farming techniques for grains and legumes, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes, technology transfer, among other areas) and agroforestry systems (diagnosis and spatial approach on nitrogen fixation by leguminous trees in natural agroforestry systems across the country, biodegradation of pruning leguminous trees, and crop-tree interactions among other areas). He has worked extensively in the agriculture research field in Senegal and is currently the Senior Agronomist at l’Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, based in St. Louis in Senegal. Dr. Ndiaye received his Masters’ degree in Agronomy and Soil Science from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, in the United States and his Doctorate in Agronomic Sciences from the National School of Agronomy and Food Industries in France .

Mrs. Maria Alberto has over 20 years of experience working in the field of agriculture, mainly crop varieties research and development, with focus on the rice, seed production, seed industry. Presently, she works at the Seed Department and partially as the Executive Secretary of The National Seed Dialogue Platform/Association for the promotion of the seed sector in Mozambique. Maria has worked for several seed companies in Mozambique. She is very familiar with the Mozambican seed legislation and the harmonized seed regulations under SADC countries, with good knowledge of public and private seed sectors in the context of Mozambique. She led the variety registration and release Repartition at the Seed Department between 1999-2005 and between 2006-2008 at the National Directorate of Agriculture. She has participated in several seed surveys across the country in collaboration with FAO and ICRISAT. She has been involved in several studies on the seed sector including a study on the Status of the Seed Security in Mozambique (2004), A brief analysis of the Vegetable Seed Industry in Mozambique (2013), An Overview on international seed companies in Mozambique (2013), among others. Maria holds a Masters’ degree Agriculture Science (Plant Breeding and Biotechnology) from the Queensland University in Australia and a Bachelors’ degree in Agronomy (Plant Production and Protection) from Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique.

Rabenasolo Paul Mbosa is an agriculturist and agribusiness engineer and currently a consultant with various international organizations. He has over 40 years of professional experience in rural development, specifically in the seed industry sector. He has a vast knowledge in seed technology, seed production, strategic plan designing, enterprise management, structure of seed grower’s organizations and management, safety in agricultural production and capacity-building. Previously, he served as the head of the Seed and Plant Material Production Service, Madagascar for several years. He was also the Director of the National Seed Project (multi donor project) at the Ministry of Agriculture. He was the founding President of the Malagasy Seed Trade Association (AMPROSEM). Mbosa also served as a board member of the African Seed Trade Association. He holds a master’s degree in Seed Technology.

Miriam Kyotalimye is an agricultural economist with over 14 years of experience in the agricultural sector with specific expertise in research and development, gender, agribusiness, rural development, economic analysis, policy and advocacy. She is a seasoned coach in the areas of gender, research policy and advocacy having trained for International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, ICRAF and AgriPro Focus Hub Uganda among others. Currently she is serving as a coach for IFDC staff, enhancing staff gender equality competencies and developing the project gender strategies and action plans. She is also presently the Director at Green Ambiance Limited (GAL), a company focused on gender, agribusiness and rural development. She conducted extensive research work around investment opportunities in the agricultural sector for International Food Policy Research Institute and later served as the head of gender mainstreaming unit at the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa, (ASARECA). Miriam has 10 years of experience encompassing gender mainstreaming, policy analysis and advocacy, market analysis and institutional arrangements with ASARECA. She has 11 publications and was involved in the development of several policy briefs for ASARECA. Miriam holds an MSc in Agricultural Economics and a BSc in Agriculture from Makerere University, Uganda.

Dr. Mohammed Hassena has over 30 years of work experience as an agricultural researcher in the areas of socioeconomics and development. As a researcher, he has worked in the field of agricultural marketing, agricultural production analysis, agricultural system analysis, agricultural policy analysis, and agricultural value chain analysis. As a development practitioner, Mohammed has worked in the areas of value chain development and system management. Over the last 12 years, he worked exclusively in the seed sector through the Integrated Seed Sector Development – Ethiopia Program supported by Wageningen University and Research. He engaged intensively in facilitating change, policy dialogue, and supporting implementation of innovations. He has been advising government and development projects with regards to seed sector policies and strategies. Dr. Hassena holds an MSc in Agricultural Economics and PhD in Agricultural policy with emphasis on seed and seed systems.

Munyaradzi Jonga is an agronomist and seed production specialist with vast experience in agriculture and the seed sector in Zimbabwe. He is passionate about the seed sector development and management. He got agricultural research and extension experience working in the fertilizer and seed industries. His key achievements and reputation were earned in the seed industry as a Seed Production and Quality Assurance Manager for Seed Co Ltd. This function allowed Munyaradzi to be part of critical panels, committees, associations and seed systems networks dealing with seed production development and administration in Zimbabwe, eastern and southern Africa. Munyaradzi has also contributed to agriculture and seed sector development through training of seed growers and seed industry personnel during formal workshop presentations and field training. He published a practical seed production manual to assist upcoming seed growers and seed production personnel. Munyaradzi obtained BSc and master’s degrees in Crop Science as well as an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe.

RAZAKASOLO Nary is an agronomy engineer specializing in agro-management. He is currently managing his own company with a focus on improving value chains and sustainable development. His professional experience touches on seed sector development in all aspects from upstream to downstream: legislation, production, training, promotion, marketing and entrepreneurship. His expertise in entrepreneurship saw him set up agricultural companies, among them seed production and seed promotion companies. Nary served as a young professional at VALY Agri.

Mr. Ngerero Nkuriza is an agricultural engineer who’s 38 years of experience includes lecturing at Universities, project management, and seed value chain expertise. His expertise in seed systems spans variety development, production and marketing, quality control and certification, seed policy and regulations, and plant breeder’s rights. He has worked in rural sector development and agriculture issues in Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr. Nyembo Luciens serves as the Head of Department of Crop Science and Director of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Research Unit at the Université de Lubumbashi, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. He is also the National Vice-President of the Scientific Committee of the Congolese Network of Actors of Innovation (in French RCAI) and the honorary assistant director in the office of His Excellency the National Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock of the DRC, where he represents the country in several international conferences on agriculture and nutrition. He has more than 15 years of experience in plant breeding and has published extensively on the subject in international journals. Dr. Nyembo holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences

Patience Nyakanda is an entrepreneur active in fruit variety introductions, evaluation, maintenance, commercial propagation and importation of a wide range of fruit tree and nut trees, including a repertoire of deciduous, subtropical and Mediterranean fruit trees. For much of her early career life, commencing in 1989, she has predominantly been practicing crop breeding, variety development, and technology transfer, having commenced with cotton variety development in public research. Subsequently, she transferred to groundnut breeding, again in public research. As a result of her early work, several successful cotton and groundnut varieties were released from the public sector research program, with some still in commercial use to date. More recently, her career also spanned the private sector, where she got involved in seed production in maize and small grain legumes. Over the years, she has engaged in agricultural consultancies in commercial and community seed production as well as fruit tree seedling and agricultural technology transfer. Her desire is to see consumers enjoy the good value-for-use attributes that improved varieties have to offer. Patience is a founding member of the Zimbabwe Plant Breeders Association (ZPBA) and is currently Administrator of the association. She is extensively involved in voluntarism, and is currently involved with KIDZCAN, a Zimbabwean children’s cancer relief PVO. She holds an undergraduate Agriculture (Honors) degree and a master’s degree in Plant Breeding and Crop Improvement.

Professor John Derera is currently the Head of Breeding at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, Ibadan Nigeria) and Honorary Professor of Plant Breeding at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). He is a specialist in plant breeding, seed systems, and biometrical genetics. He has in-depth and extensive knowledge of smallholder and large-scale commercial agriculture in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining the IITA, John was the Global Head of R&D for Seed Co Group (www.seedcogroup.com ) and led operations across Africa; and a professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI) where he implemented modern breeding curriculum and led Universities and Agricultural Research Council (ARC) collaboration for smallholder farmer development. He inspires development through leadership in sustainable agriculture, plant breeding, food security and capacity building. He is an accomplished publisher, researcher, and postgraduate students’ supervisor. He supports regional academic institutions, such as University of KwaZulu-Natal, West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI, Ghana), Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement (Uganda), Pan Africa University (PAU, Ibadan, Nigeria), Midlands State University (Zimbabwe) and University of Limpopo (South Africa) among other institutions. His current board services include Soybean Innovation Laboratory (www.soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu), Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement (www.marcci.org), African Plant Breeders Association (APBA) and Crop Science Society of Zimbabwe (CSSZ). His recognition includes Africa’s 20 most influential plant breeders award in 2020.

John Mburu is an Agricultural Economist currently working with the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Over the years Prof. Mburu has gained useful expertise in applying the concepts of cost-benefit analysis, new institutional economics and sustainable livelihoods framework in applied research on agriculture and management of natural resources. He has published widely on agriculture and environment, including economics of utilization and management of forests, wildlife and agro-biodiversity in developing countries. He is an associate partner of Resource Mobilization and Policy Analysis Institute, a consultancy firm in Kenya. He is a member of the African Association of Agricultural Economists and the International Association for the Study of Commons. He has been the Lead Researcher in the Kenya TASAI study since September 2013.   He holds a PhD and MSc degree in Agricultural Economics from University of Goettingen, Germany, following a first degree in BSc in Agriculture from University of Nairobi.

Quaqua Sumo Mulbah has been working for more than ten years with farmers, agri-preneurs, policymakers, and other stakeholders to increase productivity and enhance growth in the agriculture sector of Liberia. He has contributed to the implementation of various agricultural research and development projects and has led technical capacity building programs for farmers and other agricultural practitioners throughout Liberia. Dr. Mulbah is interested in Plant Stress and Disease Management and is currently leading an effort to develop new resilient and high-yielding varieties of rice and other food crops at Liberia’s Central Agricultural Research Institute. He holds a BSc. in Agronomy from the University of Liberia, an MSc. In Crop Science and PhD in Plant Breeding from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa.

Richard Kachule is an Agricultural Economist with a bias in Agricultural Marketing. Currently, he is the Research Director representing Center for Agricultural Research and Development (CARD) in the Regional Network for Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) and sits in the ReNAPRI Board of Directors in the same capacity. He also serves as a Research Fellow at CARD at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malawi. Richard teaches at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics offering courses in Agricultural Marketing; Seed Policy; Farm Business Management; and Policy Analysis both at undergraduate and graduate levels. Richard has extensive experience in analytical policy. He has been involved in extensive research in the fields of agricultural marketing as well as evaluating several livelihood projects in Malawi.

Ruth Ssebuliba is a seed industry expert with over 35 years of experience in the private seed sector, policy environment, small holder inclusion as well as scientific aspects of research and development. Ruth is the founder and currently the Executive Director for the Africa Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness Center (AEAC) Gomba, Uganda, a for-profit organization working to empower small holder farmers using profitable seed multiplication models. She worked as the Executive Director (6 years) for Sustainable Agriculture for Rural Development (SARD), a local NGO in Uganda focusing on improving household incomes and food security among small scale farmers. She was the Executive Secretary for Uganda Seed Trade Association (USTA) Kampala, Uganda and offered her expertise in seed business development to the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), Nairobi, Kenya. She holds an MSc and Phd in Agriculture-Plant Breeding from Makerere University. She also holds the 2006 annual award for women achievers by the Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE) Uganda Chapter.

Mr. Adzivor has over twenty-five years’ experience in seed quality assurance systems and seed industry development. He has served in various roles in the seed industry in Ghana including Municipal Director of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, in the Volta Region, Deputy Director and Head of the Ghana Seed Inspection Division, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Coordinator of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Grant Seed Policy Action Node Project and is the Technical Representative responsible to the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD). Mr. Adzivor received his academic training from Delta International University of New Orleans, USA, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and the University of Ghana, Legon.

Siaka Dembele is a researcher in plant breeding and plant genetic resources management with over twenty years of experience. He was instrumental in the development of high yielding cotton varieties throughout Mali and in the region at large. His experience in biotechnology and biosecurity has contributed to initiatives for regional institutions such as CILSS, CEDEAO and UEMOA. He worked with these institutions to develop and implement harmonized seed sector policies and regulations in West Africa and the Sahel. His experience managing research teams includes guidance to several initiatives developing maize, sorghum, groundnuts, cowpeas and millet varieties, as well as agricultural research stations in Mali. He holds diplomas in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology.

Dr. Sokona Dagnoko is an expert in conventional and molecular plant breeding. Her expertise was acquired from the Cornell Maize Breeding Program and the Cornell Institute of Genomic Diversity. Dr Sokona’s work experience includes project leadership and implementation for organizations such as CORAF/WECARD, CTA, ISSD, AVRDC, ICRISAT and others. Since 2015, Dr Sokona has served RUFORUM as a member of its Technical Committee and recently as a member of the Steering Committee of its TAGDev project (Transforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development) funded by the MasterCard Foundation. She obtained her Master of Science (MPhil) in Animal Science with a major in Nutrition from Laval University, Quebec, Canada and her PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics with a minor in International Agriculture from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Stanislas Bila is an agronomist with good knowledge of the seed value chain in Cameroon. He is a national seed inspector and Deputy Director of Seed Regulation and Plant Quarantine. He works with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon. He coordinates seed inspection and certification activities, as well as the technical secretariat of the species and variety release commission within the National Seed Council, and supervises the Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing as well as the Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) testing for the release of seed varieties.

Some of the activities under his docket within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development include the control and certification of seeds and seedlings, the certification of phytosanitary products, the drafting of regulations relating to plants, plant products and biotechnology for agriculture, the drafting of quality standards for seeds and seedlings, in liaison with the National Seeds Council and the administrations concerned; the development and implementation of a policy for certifying the origin of seeds; the development of regulations and standards for grading and packaging agricultural and food products, in liaison with the administrations concerned and the harmonisation at sub-regional and regional levels of policies and regulatory frameworks.

Stanislas BILA has been trained at the faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Dschang in Cameroon.

Susan is an agriculturalist with over fifteen-years’ experience in the agriculture sector. She is an expert in plant breeding, seed system development and agriculture extension services. She was further trained in Project monitoring and evaluation, Project management, financial management, Data analysis, Project development by the AGRA and Implementing Research on Breeding Management Systems (BMS) among others. Susan has over eight years’ experience in plant breeding and seed system development in the ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS). Additionally, she has experience of working with international organizations like the World Food Program (WFP), International organization for Migration (IOM), Nile Basin Initiative Project and others. Currently, she is leading the national bean research program which focuses on various research and scaling up programs including introduction, testing and release of potential bean varieties in the country. Susan holds an MSC in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems from Makerere University Uganda and BSc Hon. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Juba.

Zombe Nalupya K. Sikazwe is a Senior Seeds Officer at the Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI) under the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia. She oversees the national coordination of seed training programs, including the Seed Inspectors’, Seed Samplers’, and Seed Analysts’ courses offered internationally, where she also serves as a lecturer and examiner. She also coordinates smallholder farmer training programs and rural seed system initiatives across the country. With over 23 years of service at SCCI in various capacities, she previously held the position of Technical Manager for Seed Sampling for nine years, ensuring that national seed sampling operations adhered to International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) rules and standards for certification and re-accreditation. Zombe is also a consultant in seed science and related disciplines. She holds a Diploma in Crop Science from the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC), a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science, and a Master of Science in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems from the University of Zambia.