Innovations Session N°14

Isolina Boto is the Head of Networks and Alliances at COLEAD, a non-profit Association of private sector operators in the agrifood sector active in the EU, Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) regions. Isolina has more than 25 years of experience in agricultural development. She started her career with the European Commission and has also worked with various ACP embassies and NGOs in areas related to food security, rural development and trade. Before joining COLEAD, she was the Manager of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) Brussels Office (2004-2020) implementing policy initiatives related to the ACP-EU cooperation in the field of agricultural and rural development. She has led agribusiness projects in support of capacity development of SMEs, entrepreneurs and farmers organisations across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Audrey S-Darko is a climate tech entrepreneur and advocate who leads Sabon Sake, a climate tech company at the nexus of regenerative agriculture (restoring soil health and degraded ecosystems) and carbon finance. Audrey is committed to developing and deploying nature and tech-based solutions that restore soil health and biodiversity, improve economic wellbeing and accelerate the transition towards climate resilient farming and food systems for farming communities. Sabon Sake partners with climate committed organisations to build and scale collective climate impact through project implementation and strategy.
Audrey’s achievements have been recognised by several awards, including the EIT Climate-KIC Climate Launchpad competition in Ghana in 2019. In 2021, she won grant funding from the Standard Chartered Women in Technology Incubator programme through Ashesi’s Ghana Climate Innovation Centre. During the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, Audrey’s Sabon Sake was announced a winner of the United States Department of State Climate Entrepreneurs Competition.
Audrey holds a degree in Business Administration from Ashesi University, Ghana.

Frazer Handondo is 45 years old and holds an Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from the University of Glamorgan in Wales, United Kingdom. He is Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) with several other diplomas in Materials Management and Sourcing.
Frazer has experience working in the public sector, including multilateral development agencies funded projects and supply chain management. He has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate world in the banking and manufacturing sector where he has gained business management capabilities.Frazer has a keen interest in the development of Zambia through enhanced value addition of available natural resources which is a key element missing in most African Countries to spur development. He believes development of Zambia and the entire African landscape lies in building a strong and solid value addition/manufacturing sector.He has a strong interest and passion in the non-timber forest products subsector especially indigenous wild fruits and reforestation.

Jeremy Knops holds a master’s degree in business engineering from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (SBS-EM). Prior to joining COLEAD in 2009, he was involved in Guatemala with the daily operations of a farmers’ cooperative exporting loquats to the EU and the US. He started to work for COLEAD as an expert in charge of matters related to private standards and certification for ACP producers and exporters of fruit and vegetables. Jeremy is an accredited coach for leadership and professional development. He has been appointed as General Delegate of COLEAD in June 2019.

Jack Maina is a software engineer specialised in Machine Learning and working with Computer Vision algorithms. He is the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at Farmer LifeLine Technologies Kenya, a company using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to place farmers ahead of crop pests and pathogens.Farmer LifeLine Technologies was created by Ms Esther Kimani who has invented an award-winning Crop Pest & Disease Detection Device that leverages solar-powered cameras, AI, data analytics, and machine learning to detect crop pests and diseases at early stages. The device sends a text message to the farmer with a recommendation of the fertiliser or chemical to apply for the detected pest or crop disease.

Bruno Mweemba is a Development Finance Expert and Chartered Accountant with extensive expertise in Environmental Finance, Project Finance, Financial Management and Accounting with over 18 years’ of experience. He is the Managing Director and Founder of Panuka Enterprise Limited which is a horticulture farm based in Zambia. Academically, he has a Master of Philosophy in Development Finance (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa) and an MBA in Financial Services (University of East London, United Kingdom). He is also a Certified Expert in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance (Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany), Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and an Infrastructure Project Finance Expert (Middlesex University, United Kingdom).

Born in Uganda, Peter BenHur Nyeko co-founded Mandulis Energy, a clean-tech start-up and social enterprise focused on developing and deploying new technologies and approaches to deliver energy that is affordable, reliable and sustainable.
The company works alongside multiple partners to promote clean energy, agricultural processing, clean cooking and climate smart solutions in refugee and host ecosystems. Its operations are anchored in Uganda and its research and innovation is based in England.Mandulis has been recognised by the World Economic Forum as Top Innovator for both Humanitarian resilience approaches and for Circular Economy Solutions. The company leads the development of Africa’s largest grid-tied biomass gasification power plant, as well as the off-grid “REPARLE” & “BEPeARL” projects. BEPeARL won the DFCD Scalable Climate Solutions Challenge at COP26 in Glasgow, and is listed in ESI Africa’s top 14 African Power & Energy projects 2022 for delivering in rural settings the highest quality renewable energy at the lowest costs possible, using a circular economy zero-waste approach to power agriculture and enhance the livelihoods of rural smallholder & refugee farmers. By-products of Mandulis projects include organic bio-fertiliser and biochar, which promote climate smart agriculture; and sustainable solutions to replace coal and other fossil fuels.
Nyeko’s global professional journey has included renewable energy and climate finance, education, transport, and logistics. He has a Master of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering from Bristol University, United Kingdom, is an alumnus of Cranfield University and the University of the West of England, and is part of the community at IESE Business School, Navarra University, Spain.

Dr. Babafemi Oyewole, the CEO of Pan African Farmers Organization (PAFO), is a tri-sector executive and professional with experiences in the public, private and non-government sectors, and a veteran in the management of international institutions. Prior to his appointment at PAFO, he was the CEO of the African Agribusiness Alliance; former CEO of African Cashew Alliance; former Executive Director/CEO of African Energy Investment Corporation (AEICORP); Deputy Secretary General of the West African Bankers Association (WABA); General Manager, Banque Internationale du Benin, and Senior Economist with the Bank of Industry, Nigeria. He was a Regional Consultant on natural resources management policy in African countries with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He is a member of Africa Regional Experts on Policy Dialogue on Natural Resource-based Development at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Dr. Oyewole was a Chevening Scholar for his PhD in development economics at the university of Bradford, United Kingdom, and obtained an MBA in Technology, Marketing and Business Strategy from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria. He has attended several management and executive development programmes in top universities including Lagos Business School, Nigeria, and Harvard university, United States. He has published articles in international journals and made conference presentations on development policy, banking and finance, agriculture, agribusiness, and sustainable development issues.