AGRA

Betty the Country Director of AGRA in Ghana provides strategic guidance and leadership for operations. She has over 20 years’ experience in agricultural value chains and markets, community development and empowerment and environmental and natural resource management. Prior to joining AGRA, Betty worked as the Ghana Country Director the World Cocoa Foundation in Ghana, Global Technical Advisor for Market Engagements and Value Chains at the Catholic Relief Service in Baltimore, Ghana Country Manager and Climate Change Manager for Fairtrade Africa, Ghana Country Manager for Agribusiness Systems International (now Tanager), and Project Coordinator and Social Development Advisor for Care International on the West African Fair Fruits Program.

Betty possesses a strong understanding of agricultural value chains and agribusiness development including digitization of agricultural value chains, post-harvest technology, food safety and quality management, strategic environmental assessment, socio-economic dimensions of natural resource management, policy analysis, research, and excellent partnership and networking skills. Betty is very passionate about women and youth empowerment and deliberately mainstreams gender considerations in all interventions in the execution of her and responsibilities.

Betty holds a PhD in Environmental Science with specialization in Policy and Risk Management from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, USA; a Master of Science in Natural Resources with concentration on Regulatory Issues in Development from the University of Greenwich, UK; and a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Agriculture – Mechanization from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

Betty has further training and certifications in Postharvest technology from the University of Florida, USA, certifications in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Principles and Applications in Food Safety from Royal Institute of Public Health, UK, and International Food Safety from Michigan University, USA.  She has undergone extensive trainings in Value Chain Program Design: Promoting Market-based Solutions for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from Action for Enterprise, USA, Grant Proposal Writing from Grant Training Center, USA,  Training of Trainers for Organic in Certifications by the United States Department of Agriculture, Internal Control Systems for Small Farmer Groups for organic certifications from IMO Switzerland, Conflict Resolution in Natural Resources Management from the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and  Facilitator Development for Partnerships and Advocacy from IBIS, West Africa.