Advocating for agroecology in policy and practice

Abbot Ntwali, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Abbot started his professional journey in the healthcare industry, where he worked alongside local communities of individuals living with HIV. His role included managing partnerships with sub-grantee organizations and overseeing their activities. Abbot has a strong inclination towards Monitoring and Evaluation, coupled with a deep passion to support organizations in accomplishing their objectives and strengthening their capabilities. For over a decade, Abbot has been involved in measuring the impact of interventions related to agroecological agriculture and reproductive health. Throughout his career, he has worked with a variety of organizations, ranging from community-based NGOs to national and international NGOs. Abbot is an active member of the Uganda Evaluation Association, which is the professional body of evaluators in Uganda.

Email: abbot.ntwali@afsafrica.org

Charles Mulozi Olweny, Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator

Charles is a seasoned pan-Africanist and development practitioner with 13 years of experience in public policy analysis and effective social change organizing. He holds a Master of Human Rights degree from Makerere University, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Governance and Public Policy from the Uganda Management Institute. As Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator, Charles oversees Policy Research and Advocacy campaigns aimed at mobilizing citizen support for sustainable food systems. He also serves as a secretariat liaison staff for the Citizen Working Group in Agroecology. Charles has written extensively on a variety of development-related topics, and he is deeply committed to promoting active citizenship and proactive citizen agency in order to position civil society as the vanguard for justice, equity, and human dignity. Charles has played a critical role and held leadership responsibilities primarily in civil society and the NGO sub-sector throughout his career.

Email: charles.olweny@afsafrica.org

Sarah Nabatanzi, Finance and Administration Assistant

Sarah is a certified Public Accountant (CPAU) and holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Accounting and Finance. She also holds a National Diploma in Accountancy and currently pursuing a master’s degree in Business administration at the University of East London. She has over 10 years practical experience in the accounting field. As a Finance and Administration assistant at AFSA, she is in charge of financial position reconciliations, overseeing tax obligations, whilst steering overall day to day accounting, financial and administration activities. Supports the compiling and presentation of financial statements as well as management reports, supports external audit processes, processing payment transactions, accountability verification, managing the payroll and coordinating international travel logistics.

Email: sarah.nabatanzi@afsafrica.org

Simon Peter Bukenya, Program Officer

Simon is an impassioned advocate for sustainable development, climate and social justice, the right to healthy food, and community development issues in Africa. Simon earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University and is currently serving as a Program Officer at AFSA. Simon is actively involved in the organization’s Climate Working Group activities, displaying his commitment to promoting sustainable practices across Africa. Additionally, Simon serves as the focal person for facilitating the AFSA Youth Group, responsible for organizing the organization’s youth-oriented programs

Email: simon.bukenya@afsafrica.org

Charles Tumuhe, Healthy Soil Healthy Food Project Officer

Charles is an agricultural extension, training, and rural development expert with eight years of experience working for government and non-governmental organizations in Uganda. In his current role as an AFSA Healthy Soil Healthy Food (HSHF) project officer, Charles is responsible for overseeing capacity-building initiatives for HSHF organizations. Charles has published several journal articles on topics such as agroforestry, stakeholder analysis, community action planning, and Ugandan indigenous seeds and foods and has taught in both academic and rural farm settings. He is passionate about agroecology and climate adaptation strategies and holds a Master’s degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Management, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Monitoring and Evaluation, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture.

Email: charles.tumuhe@afsafrica.org

Ndeye Awa Gueye, Project Officer

Ndèye Awa holds a Master’s Degree in Local Development Engineering and a Professional Degree in Applied Foreign Languages from the Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis. She has four years of experience in community development through her volunteer services with the NGO CorpsAfrica/Senegal and management of the Baba Garage Women’s Entrepreneurship Centre. Ndèye Awa also gained two years of experience in Marketing and Communication. During her community service, she built a school canteen in a primary school covering six villages and 130 children. She also managed a centre for training and coaching more than 600 women in various income-generating activities. As a Project Officer with AFSA, she is implementing the policy advocacy strategy for the recognition of Farmer Managed Seed Systems (FMSS) and the promotion of neglected crops in Niger, Chad and Tanzania with a vision of going regional (Africa) within four years. Ndèye Awa is a very dynamic woman, committed to sustainable development, especially in agriculture, resilience/food sovereignty, women’s entrepreneurship and education of children in rural areas.

Email: awa.gueye@afsafrica.org

Kirubel Tadele, Communications Officer

Kirubel is an avid Pan-African who is committed to environmental, social justice, and human rights causes in Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Addis Abeba University and has worked in both national and international NGOs for over ten years in environmental advocacy and communication.

Email: kiubel.tadele@afsafrica.org

Michael Farrelly, Program Officer

Michael’s first career was in water supply, including six years drilling boreholes in rural villages across West and Central Africa, then two years running a local authority water department in the Kalahari, Botswana. Returning to UK, he became a community activist in London, gained a master’s degree in rural development, then worked in community regeneration in deprived post-industrial areas of Northern England. Now back in Africa, he worked for seven years promoting ecological organic agriculture in Tanzania, managing farmer training, advocacy and climate change adaptation projects before joining AFSA working on communications, research and project management.

Email: michael.farrelly@afsafrica.org

Famara Diédhiou, Program Officer - West Africa

Famara Diédhiou holds an MBA from the African Center for Higher Studies in Management (CESAG, Dakar, Senegal) and a master’s degree in regional planning, environment and urban management. Famara has 12 years’ professional experience working mostly in rural development, particularly in the establishment of community seed and cereal banks, and organizing women’s groups for urban-rural partnership and advocacy. Active in organic and agroecology movements, he also developed strong international experience both in Africa and outside the continent. Currently Famara is active in various networks in West Africa to advance the food sovereignty struggle and African driven solutions.

Email: famara.diedhiou@afsafrica.org

Juliet Masika, Finance and Administration Officer

Juliet is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She also holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce degree (Accounting Option). Juliet is currently perusing a Master of Business Administration at Heriot-Watt University- Edinburgh.

She brings over 15 years of experience working with NGOs and the private sector to her role as AFSA’s Finance and Administration Officer. Juliet is in charge of handling, supervising, and planning AFSA’s financial tasks.

She provides strategic leadership in financial management in line with AFSA strategies, policies, procedures, statutory laws, and international financial standards to the Secretariat and Over 30 partners in 54 countries across African continent where AFSA operates. She has vast NGO experience, including sub granting to partners and provides training and capacity building to AFSA partners.

Email: juliet.masika@afsafrica.org

Million Belay, AFSA General Coordinator

Million has been working for over two decades on intergenerational learning of bio-cultural diversity, agriculture, the rights of local communities to seed and food sovereignty and forest issues. He has a PhD in environmental learning, an MSc in tourism and conservation, and a BSc in Biology, and is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food).

Email: million.belay@afsafrica.org

Bridget Mugambe, Program Coordinator

Bridget is a social scientist with over 15 years work experience with NGOs in management, strategic planning, budgeting, fundraising, and gender mainstreaming. Her competencies are mainly in policy analysis, campaigns and advocacy, capacity building, generation and dissemination of information on food sovereignty. As AFSA’s Program Coordinator, Bridget oversees policy advocacy on seed sovereignty, community land rights, climate justice, and consumer action, supporting AFSA working groups to implement agreed strategies and work plans, and spearheading fundraising initiatives within the organization. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Social Sciences (Public Administration), Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Sciences (Sociology) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation.

Email: bridget.mugambe@afsafrica.org

Joyce Brown, Board Member

Joyce Brown is the Director of Programs and lead on Hunger Politics work at Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in Nigeria.

She also coordinates the youth forum of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa and co-coordinates the Alliance for Action on Pesticides in Nigeria. Joyce is a passionate food sovereignty and public health activist who has worked to resist the spread of GMOs and corporate control of the Nigerian food system.

She believes that systemic problems, driven by false narratives, are at the root of global and African issues and her work focuses on exposing these narratives and promoting real, people-centered, contextual, and sustainable solutions. Joyce holds a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and a Master’s degree in Public Health and is skilled in program coordination, communication, research, writing, and editing.

Amadou Cheikh KANOUTE, Board Member

Amadou C. KANOUTE is the head of CICODEV Africa, a Pan-African Institute for Consumer Citizenship and Development. The organization aims to inform, educate, protect, and represent consumers and has a vision of a world where citizens and decision makers are aware of the impacts of their choices as consumers and the impact of production models on trade, the environment, and development.

In 2007, Amadou joined Greenpeace International and served as Project Leader and then Executive Director, helping to develop Greenpeace Africa’s three-year development plan and establish the organization’s first permanent base on the continent.

Previously, he was the Regional Director of Consumers International’s Office for Africa for seven years and Director of the sub-regional office for West and Central Africa for nine years. Under his leadership, Consumers International’s membership grew from 5 consumer organizations in 3 countries to 120 organizations in 46 countries in Africa.

He initiated programs that built the capacity of African consumer organizations to participate in and influence policy formulation in areas such as public utility reform and food and nutrition security. Amadou holds an MBA in project management and evaluation and is fluent in English and French. He was born in 1954 in Thies, Senegal and is married with 4 children.

Hakim Baliraine, Chairperson

Hakim Baliraine has a strong background in agriculture and advocacy, having completed various training programs and obtaining certifications in sustainable agriculture, soil and water conservation, land use management, and agroecology.

Currently, Hakim holds multiple leadership positions nationally, regionally, and globally. Nationally, He chairs ESAFF Uganda and sits on the National Steering Committee of Agroecology and Organic Agriculture.

At the regional level, he is the current Chairperson of ESAFF region and the Vice Co.Chair of the regional steering Committee of AU EOA-I. And globally, he represents the People Coalition on Food Sovereignty in Africa to the Global Executive Committee, he represents ESAFF Uganda in World Rural Forum and was recently elected as the Chairperson of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).

Hakim Baliraine, Chairperson

Hakim Baliraine possède une solide expérience dans le domaine de l’agriculture et du plaidoyer, ayant suivi divers programmes de formation et obtenu des certifications en agriculture durable, conservation des sols et de l’eau, gestion de l’utilisation des terres et agroécologie.

Actuellement, Hakim occupe plusieurs postes de direction au niveau national, régional et mondial. Au niveau national, il préside l’ESAFF Ouganda et siège au comité directeur national de l’agroécologie et de l’agriculture biologique.

Au niveau régional, il est l’actuel président de la région ESAFF et le vice-président du comité de pilotage régional de l’AU EOA-I. Au niveau mondial, il représente la Coalition populaire pour la souveraineté alimentaire en Afrique au Comité exécutif mondial, il représente l’ESAFF Ouganda au Forum rural mondial et a récemment été élu président de l’Alliance pour la souveraineté alimentaire en Afrique (AFSA).

Fidele Houssou, Secretary

Fifamè Fidèle Houssou-Gandonou is the Regional Coordinator of the Campaign on Food Security in the Association of Councils of Churches in West Africa, based in Lomé, Togo.

Fidele is a parish priest and a teacher at the Protestant University of West Africa. Born on 23 April 1974 in Cotonou, Benin, Fidele is married and mother of a boy. She studied theology in Porto-Novo (Benin), Yaoundé (Cameroon) and Paris (France).

She is a pastor of the Protestant Methodist Church of Benin (EPMB) and holds a doctorate in theology. The objective pursued in her research is to entrench feminism in Benin using ethical tools to demonstrate the validity of feminism.

Her thesis was published in the edition Globethics under the title: The ethical foundations of feminism: a reflection from the African context. Fidele is a member of the Circle of Concerned African Theologians, and a trainer in Animation and Applied Bible Studies.

Anne Maina, Board Member

Anne Wanjiku Maina is a development practitioner who has been actively working with communities and challenging false solutions being pushed in Africa like Genetic Engineering, the push for a green revolution in Africa and carbon markets as a strategy to cope with climate change in Africa.

Anne articulates these issues at the national, regional and international level in forums such as the UNFCCC and CBD.

She has over fifteen years’ experience and has been instrumental in the growth and development of various regional networks in Africa; the Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF), Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).

Anne is the National Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA Kenya) a member of AFSA. www.bibakenya.org

Mariama Sonko, Treasurer

Mariama Sonko is a small-scale farmer, the treasurer of her AJAC LUKAAL grassroots association, the national coordinator in Senegal, and the chair of the international movement “We Are The Solution”. Mariama lives in Niaguiss, a village in southwestern Senegal.

In 1990 she joined the movement and since then she has been supporting local knowledge and farming practices. She has five children, and her own agricultural produce is the basis of her family’s diet. She fights for the human and socio-economic rights of women and youth. We are the Solution practices agroecology and family farming, encourages food sovereignty, farmer seeds, biodiversity and the demand for equitable access to resources.

‘We Are the Solution’ stemmed from a 2011 campaign for food sovereignty in Africa. In 2014, it became a rural women’s movement. The movement works for the promotion of farmer knowledge and practices, better agricultural governance by decision-makers and valorization of the production of African Family Farming (agroecology and farmer seeds), which have always preserved food sovereignty in Africa.

Fassil Gebeyehu Yelemtu (PhD)

Fassil Gebeyehu Yelemtu (PhD) is the general coordinator of the African Biodiversity Network. ABN accompanies Africans in expressing their views on issues such as food and seed sovereignty, genetic engineering, agrofuels, biodiversity protection, extractive industries and smallholder farmers’ rights.

ABN focuses on indigenous knowledge, ecological agriculture and biodiversity rights, policies and legislation.

They are at the forefront of culturally centered approaches to social and ecological issues in Africa by sharing experiences, co-developing methodologies and creating a united African voice on the continent on these issues.

Mariama Sonko, Membre

Mariama SONKO est une paysanne, trésorière de son Association de base AJAC LUKAAL, coordinatrice nationale au Sénégal, et présidente du mouvement international “Nous sommes la solution”.

Mariama vit à Niaguiss, un village du sud-ouest du Sénégal. En 1990, elle a rejoint le mouvement et depuis lors, elle soutient les connaissances locales et les pratiques agricoles. Elle a cinq enfants et ses propres produits agricoles sont à la base de l’alimentation de sa famille.

Elle lutte pour les droits humains et socio-économiques des femmes et des jeunes. Nous sommes la Solution pratique l’agroécologie et l’agriculture familiale, encourage la souveraineté alimentaire, les semences paysannes, la biodiversité et la demande d’accès équitable aux ressources.
Nous sommes la solution ” est née d’une campagne 2011 pour la souveraineté alimentaire en Afrique. En 2014, il est devenu un mouvement de femmes rurales.

Le mouvement œuvre pour la promotion des connaissances et des pratiques paysannes, une meilleure gouvernance agricole par les décideurs et la valorisation de la production de l’agriculture familiale africaine (agroécologie et semences paysannes), qui ont toujours préservé la souveraineté alimentaire en Afrique.

Fidele Houssou, Membre

Fifamè Fidèle Houssou-Gandonou est la coordinatrice régionale de la Campagne sur la sécurité alimentaire de l’Association des Conseils des Eglises en Afrique de l’Ouest, basée à Lomé, Togo. Fidele est curé de paroisse et professeur à l’Université protestante d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Née le 23 avril 1974 à Cotonou, au Bénin, Fidele est mariée et mère d’un garçon.

Elle a étudié la théologie à Porto-Novo (Bénin), Yaoundé (Cameroun) et Paris (France). Pasteur de l’Église méthodiste protestante du Bénin (EPMB), elle est titulaire d’un doctorat en théologie. L’objectif poursuivi dans sa recherche est d’enraciner le féminisme au Bénin en utilisant des outils éthiques pour démontrer la validité du féminisme.

Sa thèse a été publiée dans l’édition Globethics sous le titre : Les fondements éthiques du féminisme : une réflexion dans le contexte africain. Fidele est membre du Circle of Concerned African Theologians et formateur en animation et études bibliques appliquées.

Fassil Gebeyehu (PhD), Membre

Fassil Gebeyehu Yelemtu (PhD) est le coordinateur général du Réseau africain de la biodiversité. ABN accompagne les Africains dans l’expression de leurs points de vue sur des questions telles que la souveraineté alimentaire et semencière, le génie génétique, les agrocarburants, la protection de la biodiversité, les industries extractives et les droits des petits exploitants agricoles.

ABN se concentre sur les savoirs autochtones, l’agriculture écologique et les droits, politiques et législations liés à la biodiversité.

Ils sont à l’avant-garde des approches culturellement centrées sur les problèmes sociaux et écologiques en Afrique en partageant leurs expériences, en co-développant des méthodologies et en créant une voix africaine unie sur le continent sur ces questions.

Jean Paul Sikeli, Membre

Juriste de formation, Jean-Paul SIKELI est titulaire d’un DESS en droits de l’homme et d’un DEA en droit public, option droit international.

Ses recherches ont porté sur la tension entre les droits de l’homme et la biotechnologie moderne dans le contexte de la sécurité alimentaire d’une part, et la lutte contre le terrorisme en droit international, d’autre part.

Il est l’auteur de plusieurs articles et d’un ouvrage sur les OGM publié aux Editions Universitaires Européennes.
Au niveau professionnel, Jean-Paul SIKELI a été consultant pour la FAO à l’occasion d’un projet national sur les semences et consultant à l’Inades-Formation International.

Il a occupé les postes de Chargé de Programme puis de Secrétaire Exécutif de la Coalition pour la protection du Patrimoine Génétique Africain (COPAGEN), poste qu’il occupe depuis août 2014.

COPAGEN est un mouvement associatif citoyen qui défend les droits des communautés sur les ressources génétiques contre diverses formes de menaces, y compris les OGM et le phénomène d’accaparement des terres et des ressources naturelles. Jean-Paul SIKELI a mené de nombreuses initiatives de plaidoyer pour sauvegarder le patrimoine génétique africain.

Ali Aii Shatu, Trésoriere

Ali Aii Shatu détient un diplôme national supérieur en soins infirmiers vétérinaires. En octobre 2000, elle a été recrutée en tant que coordonnatrice du programme de promotion des femmes et des femmes à MBOSCUDA et a occupé ce poste pendant six ans et a été élue au conseil d’administration de MBOSCUDA en tant que présidente du sous-comité des finances en 2010, poste qu’elle détient encore.

Pour sa vaste expérience et son excellence, Ali a été élu pour représenter le Comité de coordination des peuples autochtones d’Afrique (IPACC), un réseau de 150 organisations de peuples autochtones dans 20 pays africains de l’AFSA. Elle a également été le point focal de l’IPACC sur les questions liées à l’alimentation et à l’agriculture.

En novembre 2016, elle a été élue pour servir l’Alliance en tant que trésorière. Une mère de trois, deux fils et une fille, Mme Ali s’est consacrée au mouvement de souveraineté alimentaire qui promet à ses enfants un avenir meilleur.

Josephine Atangana, Secrétaire

Josephine Atangana est basée au Cameroun. Elle représente la Plate-forme sous-régionale de l’Afrique centrale des organisations de producteurs – PROPAC au sein de AFSA. Fondé en 2005, PROPAC regroupe des plates-formes nationales de 10 pays dans la sous-région de l’Afrique centrale.

PROPAC est un membre fondateur de l’Organisation panafricaine des agriculteurs (PAFO). La mission de PROPAC est d’aider au positionnement des producteurs et de leurs organisations comme de véritables entrepreneurs et partenaires dans l’élaboration, la mise en œuvre et l’évaluation des politiques agricoles en Afrique Centrale.

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