Prof. Abdulai Jalloh is the Director General of the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, at Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST), Sierra Leone. He was previously the Director General for Research and Innovation at Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles / West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF). Prof. Jalloh is an agronomist who has engaged in Research for Development in diverse institutions across sub-Saharan Africa for over 30 years.

He has considerable ability and experience in funds mobilization, implementing, and coordinating externally funded programs/projects. Prof. Abdulai has a proven ability to link research outputs with development, food security, and poverty alleviation in the face of climate change. He has extensive contacts with Research and Development stakeholders including farmer organizations, civil society, research organizations such as the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), and CGIAR donors and development practitioners across Africa. He has extensive experience and a strong ability to manage transformational change in Research and Development with diverse partnerships for sustainable development and improved livelihoods. He has a good record of scientific publications.

Captain Gilbert M. Kibe is a visionary leader with a prolific 35-year career encompassing management, training, policy development, and implementation. He has provided strategic leadership at the senior level in the Corporate and Government sectors, thus gaining acumen in aligning organizational effectiveness to national development objectives and designing short, middle, and long-term strategic goals.

He is currently the Director General for the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA). Previously, he was the chairman of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Executive Committee; Chairman of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Regional Aviation Safety Group – Africa and Indian Ocean Islands; Chairman steering committee for ICAO – Africa Flight Procedure Program (AFPP); Chairman of the board for East African Community – Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency; Chairman for Home Afrika International; Managing Director for Bahati Ridge Development; Chief Executive at Nairobi Flight Training Ltd; Director of Marketing at Eagle Air Uganda; Director of Business Development for Home Afrika Ltd; Director at Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and Executive Chairman at Eagle Aviation Ltd.

Capt. Kibe has an MBA in Aviation Management from Moi University, Kenya. He holds several licenses including, the American FAA CPL, Commercial Pilots License with Single and Multi-Engine Land, Instrument Rating from Anglo-American International Flight Academy; and Kenyan KCAA CPL, Commercial Pilots License, Flight Instructor, Instrument, Multi Piston and Turbine Ratings from Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

Dr. Florence Wambugu has been the Founder, Director, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International since 2002. She is a plant pathologist with a specialization in virology and genetic engineering. She has an honorary Ph.D. Doctorate of Science from the University of Bath, UK, and she has conducted postdoctoral research at the Monsanto Life Sciences Center, United States of America (USA). For over 30 years, she has dedicated her life to agricultural research, where she has made significant contributions to the improvement of sorghum, maize, pyrethrum, banana, and sweet potato.

Previously, she worked as the Africa Regional Director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri Biotech Applications (ISAAA) in Nairobi; Research Scientist at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research in Kenya (KALRO) and Senior Research Officer (Pathologist) and Coordinator of Plant Biotechnology Research at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).

She has published over 100 articles and co-authored various papers, and is the author and publisher of Modifying Africa and Biotechnology in Africa: Emergence, Initiatives, and Future. In 2005, she spearheaded an international consortium that received a USD 21 million global competitive grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

She has garnered numerous awards and honors, notably the Norwegian YARA Prize in 2008, Woman of the Year by Eve Magazine in 2000, Farmers Support Award, Pyrethrum Marketing Board of Kenya in 1990, Monsanto Company Outstanding Performance Award in 1992 and 1993, First Place Medal Winner, Global Development Network Awards, in 2000,  among many others.

Dr. Rose Suniso Maxwell Gidado, a renowned figure in agricultural biotechnology, is currently the Director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Department at the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in Nigeria. She holds the position of Nigerian Country Coordinator for the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa. Gidado’s career has been marked by her contributions to various roles, including Desk Officer at Africa Biofortified Sorghum and the Program for Biosafety Systems. Dr. Gidado also served as a Liaison Officer and Facilitator for the successful passage of the Nigeria Biosafety Bill from 2009 to 2015.

Dr. Gidado’s contributions to the scientific community are documented through numerous publications and her authorship of policy briefs and book chapters.  Dr. Gidado earned her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Industrial Microbiology from the University of Abuja, Nigeria. She has received numerous accolades, including the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Award, in recognition of her mentorship role.

Dr. Trust Beta is a Full Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Grain-based Functional Food, at the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Dr. Beta is a Certified Food Scientist (CFS), a designation recognizing the applied scientific knowledge and skills of global food professionals and providing a universal way to identify, cultivate, and retain top talent.

She recently edited books on ‘Cereal Grain-Based Functional Foods’ published by the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and ‘Improving the Nutritional and Nutraceutical Properties of Wheat and Other Cereals’ published by Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing (UK). She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters focusing on grain-based foods and plant phytochemicals for enhanced nutritional and functional properties.

Previously, she acquired research experience working in academia at Iowa State University, the University of Hong Kong, Texas A & M University, the University of Pretoria, and the University of Zimbabwe where she participated in collaborative crop research programs like the Sorghum and Millet Improvement Program (SMIP), and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

She has served as a Member of the Biological Systems and Functions Evaluation Group of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) – Discovery Grant program; Panel Chair of the United States Department of Agriculture /Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Office of Scientific Quality Review (NP 306 Panel 2 Wheat Quality); Member of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI); Expert Panel on Food Science; Rating Reviewer of the National Research Foundation (NRF), Pretoria and South Africa; and Functional Food Program Reviewer of the Commission Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONICYT), Chile among others.

Dr. Beta holds a Ph.D. in Food Science, from the University of Pretoria, South Africa; an MSc in Food Science and Technology, from Texas A&M University, US, and a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry, from the University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.

Trust Beta is the 2023 recipient of the Include Award in honor of George Washington Carver.

Nicholas Nyaga is a seasoned Finance and Management Professional. Currently, he is the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) at Jumuia Hospitals Limited.

He has previously served as Founder of Rani Link; Director and Founder at the Centre for Corporate Governance; Council Member of Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University; Senior Internal Audit Manager, Chief Accountant, and Commercial Manager at Unilever Tea (Formerly Brooke Bond Group); Director of Finance at The Nairobi Hospital, and Tata Chemicals, Magadi. He also served as Managing Director at Inter-consumer Products (now L’Oreal East Africa), and Group Finance and Strategy Manager at Fountain Enterprises Program (FEP) Group.

He holds a Master of Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Leicester United Kingdom (UK), in 2003. He Qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in Kenya CPA(K) in 1980, at Strathmore College, and is a member of The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).

Additionally, he was trained and certified as a Company Director and corporate governance trainer by the Commonwealth Association for Corporate Governance in 2001.

Tinga Jeremy Ouedraogo is currently a Research Scientist at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency. He is also the Head/Coordinator of the following programs: African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) and Integrated Vector Management (IVM) at the African Union Development Agency, NEPAD in Senegal.

He previously worked in Burkina Faso as Minister of Animal Resources and fisheries; Member of Parliament of Burkina Faso; Head of the Centre of Research and Training of Institute of Environmental and Agricultural (INERA) Kamboinsion; Head of the first Biotechnology lab and contributed to GM cotton development; Researcher in charge of cowpea breeding program at Institut de l’Environnement Recherches Agricoles INERA; and Associate researcher for International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development (IITA- SAFGRAD).

He has also served on the secretariat and the research team of the African Union High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies (APET) as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

He possesses a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biotechnology from Université Laval.

Mr. Kingori Kariuki is the Managing Partner for Kingori Kariuki and Company Advocates. He has a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from the University of Nairobi, a Diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law (KSL), and he is a Certified Public Secretary. He was admitted to the bar in 1984 and has over 27 years of experience in Litigation, Conveyancing, Company matters, and debt collection.

He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, an accomplished legal practitioner, and a Researcher. He is a member of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries (CPS) K and is in charge of Civil Litigation, Insurance, Banking, Debt collection, and Corporate Law. Mr. Kingori is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).

Chipokota Mayamba Cindy Mwanawasa is the Policy Advisor to the President of Zambia, His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, and also serves as the Deputy Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit.

Prior to this, she was the Legal Officer and Executive Assistant to the Vice-President of Human Capital at one of Africa’s largest integrated copper mines. In addition to her corporate and political career, she is also an agri-entrepreneur and trade retailer, having set up an innovative livestock crowd-farming venture, which she has grown into a meat retail SME.

She also holds an LLM in Commercial Law from the University of Cape Town and an LLB in English and French law from the University of Kent and the University of Bordeaux IV. In 2019, she was awarded a Chevening Scholarship, enabling her to pursue a Master of Science in public policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ms. Mwanawasa was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Zambia Bureau of Standards in 2018. Furthermore, she co-authored the discussion paper Elections in Africa: Preparing a Democratic Playbook with the South African think-tank The Brenthurst Foundation and is involved in charity work and advocacy for the underprivileged.