SPEAKERS

Dr. Kalibata joined AGRA as its President in September 2014. Under Dr. Kalibata’s leadership, AGRA is working to increase the incomes and improve food security for 30 million farming households in 11 African countries by 2021 through targeted investments to strengthen 3 core areas: State capability and policies; input delivery systems in agriculture: and partnerships for inclusive agricultural growth Prior to joining AGRA, Dr. Kalibata was Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) from 2008 to 2014, where she drove programs that moved her country to food security helping to lift more than a million Rwandans out of poverty. Dr. Kalibata sits on various boards, councils and commissions including the Global Commission on Adaptation, the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum, the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, the Food and Land Use (FOLU) Coalition, the Architecture for REDD + Transactions (ART), the International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC), Bioversity International, and Africa Risk Capacity, among others.

Benedict Okey Oramah assumed the position of President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on 21 September 2015. Dr. Oramah joined Afreximbank as Chief Analyst in 1994 and was promoted to the position of Senior Director, Planning and Business Development in 2007. Prior to joining Afreximbank, he was an Assistant Research Manager at the Nigerian Export-Import Bank from 1992. He holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics, obtained in 1987 and 1991 respectively, from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He received a B.Sc. degree, also in agricultural economics, from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1983. Oramah has published a book, “Foundations of Structured Trade Finance”, and has written more than 35 articles on a wide range of African economic, trade and trade finance issues. He is a regular speaker in trade and trade finance conferences around the world. Dr. Oramah serves as Chairperson of the Africa Chapter of the International Factors Group (IFG) and is on the Board of the IFG and the Editorial Boards of Trade and Forfaiting Review and the Journal of African Trade. He is also a member of the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy of the International Cocoa Organization.

Dr. Frannie Léautier is an African finance and development expert, with long-standing global experience leading and transforming organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit spheres. Prior to joining TDB, she served as Senior Vice President at the African Development Bank, Vice President at the World Bank Group, and Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation. In addition to having founded two companies, Dr. Léautier is a Board Member, Trustee, Special Advisor, Founder and Member of a number of prestigious international organisations, including the World Economic Forum (WEF), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), OCP Group, African Risk Capacity (ARC), African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Institute for Security Studies (IIS), King Baudouin Foundation USA (KBFUS), Nelson Mandela Institute for Science and Technology (NM-AIST), and others. Likewise, she is a well-recognised author and academic, having published numerous books, articles and papers in international development and having taught Masters-level courses at Sciences Po, MIT, Harvard, Duke, and the University of Tokyo. In addition to her Civil Engineering Degree from Dar es Salaam University and a Transportation Masters from MIT, Dr. Léautier holds a PhD in Infrastructure Systems from MIT, and honorary degrees from North Central College and Lancaster University.

Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki of the Republic of Niger is the Chief Executive Officer of the Secretariat of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). A former Prime Minister of Niger, from 1997 to 2000, Dr. Mayaki has a Masters Degree from the National School of Public Administration (Enap), Quebec, Canada and a PhD in Administrative Sciences from University of Paris I, France. He worked as a Professor of Public Administration in Niger and Venezuela. Between 1996 and 1997 he was successively appointed Minister in charge of the African Integration and Cooperation and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In August 2000, he set up the Analysis Centre for Public Policy. From 2000 to 2004, Dr Mayaki was a guest Professor at the University of Paris XI, where he lectured on international relations and organizations; he also led research at the Research Centre on Europe and the Contemporary World within that University. In 2004, he served as Executive Director of the Platform in support of Rural Development in West and Central Africa, the Rural Hub, based in Dakar, Senegal, from where he was appointed NEPAD Chief Executive Officer in January 2009.

Founder and current President of Brazil Africa Institute, he holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Federal University of Ceará and Postdoctoral studies from the University of Brasilia (UNB), with the object of research on the integration of the African continent. He is a visiting professor of important Brazilian and African Universities and he is a Senior International Associate of African, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center - CALACs of Jindal Global University (India). Prof. João Bosco is the author of books and publications related to the relations between the various international actors, focusing on South-South Cooperation. He acts as an international consultant of Brazilian and foreign organizations and as a columnist and commentator of important media in Brazil.

Since October 2015, Mr. Jorge Chediek has been the Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, leading United Nations system-wide promotion and coordination of South-South cooperation for development. In March 2016, Mr. Chediek was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as his Envoy on South-South Cooperation. Prior to this, Mr. Chediek served as the UN Resident Coordinator/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Brazil (2010-2015). Preceding his United Nations career, which began in 1990, Mr. Chediek worked at the Department of Legislative Analysis of the Argentinean Congress and as an independent consultant assisting in the design of financial investment systems in Argentina. Born in 1960, he holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (honors) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Science (“Licenciado”) in Political Science from Catholic University in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

José Graziano da Silva has worked on food security, rural development, and agriculture issues for over 30 years, most notably as the architect of Brazil’s Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) programme and now as the Director-General of FAO. Graziano da Silva led the team that designed the Zero Hunger programme, and, in 2003, was charged by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to implement the programme as Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight against Hunger. He headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011. Elected Director-General of FAO, he took up office on 1 January 2012. After his first term from 1 January 2012 to 31 July 2015, Graziano da Silva was re-elected for a second 4 year-term (1 August 2015 to 31 July 2019) with the votes of 177 countries during FAO's 39th Conference. At the helm of FAO, Graziano da Silva has sharpened the Organization’s strategic focus; and is strengthening its field presence. He is also working to instill a best value-for-money culture. At the international level, he is working to build consensus on food security-related issues. He has also encouraged closer cooperation with development partners, supports South-South cooperation, and has increased collaboration with civil society and private sector entities, including farmer organizations and cooperatives for smallholder producers. Graziano da Silva holds a Bachelor's Degree in Agronomy and a Master's Degree in Rural Economics and Sociology from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He also has post-Doctorate Degrees in Latin American Studies (University College of London) and Environmental Studies (University of California, Santa Cruz). A Brazilian and Italian by nationality, he is married to Paola Ligasacchi and has two children and four grandchildren.

Njack Kane heads the Intervalle Group of companies. He also serves as vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, a research-­­based agriculture advocacy organization based in Washington DC and is a Member of the Board of the Winds of Hope Foundation. He began his career in commodities trading, to Africa in particular, at the Continental Grain Company more than 20 years ago. Between 1993 and 1996 he was Sales Director for the Glencore International Rice Department, then worked as Executive Director for Ascot Commodities prior to founding Novel Commodities in 1999. He has run the rice department at Novel commodities SA since inception and until late 2011 before managing until 2013 the Novel group, with a strong focus on West Africa. Kane completed his studies in Switzerland and he graduated with a degree in Political Sciences from the University of Geneva.

Roberto Rodrigues is an agronomist and farmer, coordinator of the Agribusiness Center at FGV and FAO Special Ambassador for Cooperatives. He was a professor of the Department of Rural Economy (UNESP) – Jaboticabal-SP and chaired the Brazilian Cooperatives Organization (OCB), Superior Council of Agribusiness of FIESP (COSAG), Brazilian Rural Society (SRB), the Brazilian Agribusiness Association (ABAG ) and World Alliance of Cooperatives (ACI). He has also served as Secretary of Agriculture of the State of São Paulo (1993/1994) and Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (2003-2006).