Daniel Annerose brings his passion of scientific expertise and business acumen as the CEO of pan-African company Manobi Africa. With a PhD in plant biology and a master’s degree in computer science, Annerose has many years of experience as an agro-physiologist focused on improving agricultural production in arid climates and agricultural production modeling, earning his membership in Senegal’s prestigious National Academy of Sciences and Techniques.

In transitioning his expertise into the private sector, he founded Manobi Africa, a company specialising in orchestrating agricultural value chains and the drinking water sector across Africa. Through its agCelerant branch dedicated to agriculture, Manobi Africa provides phygital (blending digital technology with on-the-ground presence) solutions to over 60,000 producers in 10 African countries. These innovations enable stakeholders across agricultural value chains to enhance business performance and streamline transactions.

As CEO, Annerose spearheads Manobi Africa’s mission of sustainably bolstering food and water security in Africa through technology-driven, human-centered solutions. His diverse expertise and leadership position the company for continued growth and social impact.

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.

Ulrich Djido is an agricultural engineer specialising in sustainable production systems, with particular expertise in waste recovery. His current field of interest focuses on the value chain of products from perishable horticultural crops, particularly fruit and vegetables, from production to marketing. He aims to promote healthier, environmentally-friendly agriculture, while reducing post-harvest losses.

Ulrich is the co-founder of two companies: BioLife Tech, which focuses on connecting people and providing access to agricultural products, and BioLife, which specialises in the production of organic inputs through waste recovery. Ulrich Djido’s objectives through his businesses are twofold: to help guarantee food and nutritional security by promoting sustainable agriculture, and to strengthen the local economy by offering a credible and secure virtual market for local agricultural products.

Ulrich has won several awards for his major contributions to sustainable agriculture and technological innovation in Benin, both nationally and internationally.

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.

Pyrrus is an agripreneur, artificial intelligence (AI) expert, full stack developer and promoter of PROMAGRIC and CLINICAGRO. PROMAGRIC (Promotion de l’Agriculture Camerounaise) is a virtual platform bringing together professionals, namely farmers selling their agricultural produce and buyers. CLINICAGRO is a start-up that develops technological solutions for agropastoral activities (agriculture, livestock farming) to optimise farm profitability, increase productivity and food quality and better manage resources.

Pyrrus has won several awards in Cameroon, Africa and France. A social entrepreneur, he uses his technological and agricultural expertise, gained over the last 7 years, to help farmers feed Africa and earn enough money to sustain a decent life while preserving natural resources for future generations.

Stephen is a trained professional horticulturalist with a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya. He is the CEO of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF). Stephen has led the implementation of EAFF’s strategic plan for 2013-2020, focusing on farmer entrepreneurship through strengthening the role farmers have along value chains. He also plays a central role in implementing the current 2021-2028 strategic plan that aims to transform smallholder agriculture into a rewarding investment opportunity.

Stephen is also the CEO of e-Granary, a mobile-based digital platform led by farmers via the EAFF that links all relevant actors in the value chain. It facilitates the meeting of demand and supply of agricultural products and inputs, reduces the cost to serve and risks to enable service providers to gainfully invest/serve smallholder farmers, and offers targeted agronomical support throughout the growing season giving smallholder farmers support from seed to market for increased productivity, incomes and livelihoods.

Abraham Natukunda is Co-founder and Managing Director of Inter Connect Point Ltd., a technology start-up based in Uganda and Rwanda. They offer an Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solution that improves quality, control and revenue in the African tea value-chain. This is done by applying an “eNose” and analytics engine to supplement and determine optimum levels of tea processing stages. This innovation augments human and basic handheld sensory capabilities using low power end-node sensor devices to consistently set ambient levels of tea processing while ensuring that there is efficient traceability, prediction, and actuation to boost tea quality, marketability, and revenue for tea producers from each bushel of tea harvested. The company offers IoT infrastructure planning and management, design and maintenance of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANS), mobile satellite systems, and delivering data analytics-as-a-service.

Abraham has a background in telecommunications, mobile money and systems administration.

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.