PHOTO: COURTESY AATF
[Nairobi, April 2023]: Dr Ousmane Badiane, a renowned agricultural economist and policy expert, has been appointed as the new ambassador of AATF. The appointment was announced in March 2023 by the AATF Board of Trustees, and it takes effect immediately.
In this position, Dr Badiane will be responsible for promoting the work of AATF across the African continent and beyond. He will also work to strengthen the partnerships that AATF has with governments, research institutions, private sector organizations, and other stakeholders involved in agricultural development.
Dr Badiane is a respected expert in the field of agricultural economics, with over three decades of experience working on food security, agricultural development, and poverty reduction in Africa.
He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kiel in Germany. He has served in leadership positions at the International Food Policy Research Institute, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, among others. He is the current Executive Chairperson of AKADEMIYA2063, which supports the efforts by the Member States of the African Union to achieve the key goals of the agenda 2063 of transforming national economies to boost growth and prosperity.
While announcing the appointment, AATF Board of Trustee Chairperson Dr. Aggrey Ambali noted that AATF hope to leverage Dr. Badiane’s experience in academic and as a practitioner in international agricultural development to advocate for and generate high level of awareness and understanding of the AATF mission and inspire actions in support of AATF’s core mandate and objectives.
In response to this appointment, Dr Badiane said: “I am honored to have been selected as an ambassador to AATF, an organization that has made significant contributions to agricultural development across Africa. I look forward to working with AATF to promote the use of innovative technologies that can help farmers increase their productivity and improve their livelihoods.”
The appointment will support AATF’s endeavour in its current and new projects to realise the goal of delivering appropriate technologies to African farmers for increased income, food, and nutrition security.
As the AATF ambassador, Dr. Badiane will help raise Africa’s voice on agricultural technology and lead global advocacy efforts for Africa’s agricultural transformation through innovative agricultural technologies across the globe.
In December 2022, AATF also appointed former Nigeria president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Africa’s Ambassador for Agricultural Technology.
Dr. Goodluck and Dr. Badiane efforts will advocate for the advancement of Africa’s agricultural goals and economic growth through the application of innovative technologies and enhanced investment in agriculture.
AATF continues to empower farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa with a wide choice of agricultural innovations that generate wealth and health for their families and communities.
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About AATF (www.aatf-africa.org)
Founded in 2003 to address Africa’s food security prospects through agricultural technology, AATF believes that the agricultural sector is a key foundational pillar as Africa consolidates its economic growth and carves out its new position as a major global economic powerhouse and the next growth market in the world. It was formed in response to the need for an effective mechanism that would facilitate and support negotiation for technology access and delivery and formation of appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of innovative technologies for use by smallholder farmers in SSA:
For more information contact:
George Achia, Communications Officer, East and Southern Africa, AATF; G.achia@aatf-africa.org ; +254 785 334163
