AGRA

The Government of Kenya has commended AGRA and its implementing partner African Management Institute (AMI) on their commitment to strengthen leadership capacity in agriculture food systems through Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA) Programme.

Speaking during the graduation of Cohort 3 of CALA’s  Advanced Leadership Programme, the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Agriculture Dr Kiprono Ronoh, said the organization has demonstrated its dedication to equipping emerging leaders with the skills and vision needed to drive agricultural transformation across the continent.

“This initiative (training on leadership) directly supports efforts aimed at building a resilient competitive and inclusive agriculture sector by governments across Africa,” he said in a keynote speech read on his behalf by the Secretary of Administration in the State Department of Agriculture, Mr Rashid Khator.

He lauded the crucial role of the public and private sectors and civil societies in transforming agri-food systems by fostering collaboration and networking through strategic partnerships and shared platforms. “We need a critical mass of highly trained leaders capable of applying and extending their leadership skills to drive innovation, enhance capacity and foster sustainable food systems,” he said.

A total of 40 delegates from eight African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana – were awarded certificates during the graduation ceremony after completing 16 months of rigorous training that also encompassed experiential learning. In the build-up to graduation, the delegates presented action learning projects  and demonstrated innovative solutions to Food System challenges across the sector.

AGRA Vice President, Center for Technical Expertise, Jonathan Said, challenged the graduands to apply the skills acquired to transform food systems in their respective countries. “The responsibility of taking this (leadership training) forward is with all of us,” he said, urging them to maintain their newly acquired collaborative networks, even  as AGRA continues to lend the critical support of training more leaders on food systems.”  

AGRA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa region, Prof Jean Jacques Muhinda, who spoke on behalf of AGRA Vice President for programme delivery, Prof Hamadi Boga, re-echoed what Mr Said said impressing upon the graduands to go back to their countries and share what they had learnt. “Reach out to your country offices  and coach your colleagues. It is only when there is transformation that donors will troop in. We need to get into existing government programmes, influence ministries responsible for agriculture, public service  and partner with the private sector and civil society and share knowledge.”

CALA is a premier AGRA-led initiative designed to build capacity of leaders in agriculture to sustainably transform food systems in Africa. It supports agriculture sector leaders to deliver top national priorities in African agriculture and nutrition  security. The graduation of Cohort 3 learners was therefore a significant milestone in CALA’s journey to empower Africa’s agrifood leaders.

Other notable speakers during the graduation ceremony were Ms Rebecca Harrison, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Management Institute, Dr Yifru Bekele, AGRA’s Head State Capability and Mr Dan Ochieng, Board Chair, African Network of Professional Facilitators.