The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced Dr. Debisi Araba as the Managing Director of AGRF to its Partners and Stakeholders.
Dr. Debisi took over the AGRF Managing Director role from Adam Gerstenmier, who is departing at the same time due to emerging engagements on the 2021 Food Systems Summit.
In an announcement issued by AGRA, Dr. Debisi, Managing Director, will be responsible for driving AGRF’s strategic growth and running the day to day business of its Secretariat as an independent, Pan African, and Multi-partner Forum. He will continue to build on the great momentum already underway to take the AGRF a notch higher in its vision and impact, by advancing and stewarding its multi-year strategy as agreed with AGRA leadership and the AGRF Partners.
Under Dr. Debisi’s leadership, AGRA expects to strengthen AGRF’s year-round business lines to advance the continental agenda through its 10 thematic platforms, advocacy, and communications to amplify key knowledge and ideas related to AGRF’s vision, and direct engagement with other key regional and global moments and the Africa Food Prize platform.
He is expected to lead the Secretariat team to continue to drive the annual AGRF Summit as the pinnacle moment each year for advancing the continental agenda for African agriculture and food systems aligned to the goals laid out in the Malabo Declaration and SDGs.
Dr. Debisi joins the AGRF Secretariat in AGRA from the CGIAR system, where he has served for the past four years as the Africa Region Director at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). At CIAT, he helped lead the institution’s mission to increase prosperity and improve human nutrition in Africa through research-based solutions in agriculture and the environment. Prior to CIAT, he held other roles as the Senior Manager, African policy engagement, with the CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and as the Senior Technical Adviser on Environmental Policy to the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Dr. Debisi Araba’s International Roles.
He is a recognized thought leader across the African agricultural sector. He serves as a member of the Montpellier Malabo Panel of experts working together to enhance African and European government support of national and regional agricultural development and food security priorities in Africa. He has also served as a member of the Advisory Committee of the African Leaders for Nutrition and as a member of the New Vision for Agriculture Transformation Leaders Network of the World Economic Forum.
His Educational Background.
Dr. Debisi holds a Doctorate degree from the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, a Masters in Clean Technology from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and a Bachelors degree in Physical Geography from the University of Ibadan.
