Empowering Marginalized Communities: How can perspective-driven innovations transform Africa’s Agri-Food systems?

As Policy and Impact Innovator, Wiebe aims to accelerate climate action through meaningful partnerships with individuals and organizations that want to bring positive change to the world’s food system. He leads Clim-Eat’s efforts towards key global platforms such as the UN’s Climate COP and spearheads a groundbreaking climate action project in Kenya.

Previously, Wiebe worked as Program Management Officer for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) with experiences in programme development and management, policy engagement, and administration. He studied the Master International Development at Wageningen University & Research, with a specialization in Sociology of Development and Change, and is passionate about climate change and development challenges in Africa. He chaired the first ever UNFCCC COP Food System Pavilion and has served as Co-Convener of the Enabling Environment Action Group of The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA). He also worked for the NWO (Dutch Research Council)’s WOTRO Science for Global Development department.

Nico Wilms-Posen is an agricultural economist with extensive experience in planning and implementing international development cooperation projects, obtained through various positions and assignments held at the Germen development agency GIZ. He holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Development.

He is currently serving as a thematic advisor for food systems transformation in the GIZ division “Rural Development and Agriculture”. He is responsible for the strategic partnership management of the portfolio which is commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as well as other ministries and co-founders (EU, BMGF, SDC, private sector).

Prior to this position he led a continental agricultural policy fund of GIZ, which provided demand-oriented advisory services in nine African countries and at the level of the EAC and ECOWAS. He also led a project on the promotion of agricultural finance in Cameroon as well as various short-term assignments on natural resource governance in Asia and Africa.

Dr. Conrad Rein leads the policy outreach activities of the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture.

Conrad joined from the European Commission where he was in charge of policy and governance issues and coordinated EU development cooperation on Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries with EU Members States, the G7, G20 and beyond. He was also the Co-Chair of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) hosted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Conrad has also previously worked for the United Nations, the Hudson Institute, and the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, in addition to work in the private sector. Conrad holds a PhD in Government from University College Cork, and both a MA and BA in African Studies from University of Leipzig.

Dr Inga Jacobs-Mata has over 15 years of experience successfully managing transdisciplinary teams in water security and multi-level environmental governance. Since joining IWMI in 2019 as Country Representative for South Africa and Regional Representative for Southern Africa, she leads IWMI’s portfolio in Southern Africa, CGIAR’s Ukama Ustawi Regional Integrated Initiative for East and Southern Africa, the AICCRA Zambia project, IWMI’s involvement in AID-I and is also CGIAR Country Convenor for South Africa. As of 1 June 2023, Inga has been appointed as IWMI/CGIAR Water Systems Director for Growth and Inclusion and will continue her work in East and Southern Africa.

Prior to joining IWMI she was the research group leader of the integrated water solutions group at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the Executive Manager for Business Development, Marketing and Communications at the Water Research Commission in South Africa. Inga earned her PhD in International Relations from St-Andrews University, Scotland and her Masters in International Relations and Political Science from Stellenbosch University (South Africa).

A Zimbabwean national, he holds a BSc (Economics) degree and has post-graduate qualifications, including in MSc (Strategic Management). He has more than 30 years’ wide-ranging experience in agriculture and rural development, including in policy research and advocacy, as well as development management. Apart from southern Africa where he is based, he has also worked in the UK and undertaken assignments in other parts of Africa and Asia.

Since joining SACAU in 2005, he has positioned the organisation as the main voice for farmers of southern Africa on matters of common and strategic interest at regional and global levels. The brand is associated with good corporate governance, professionalism, thought leadership and high standards of development management. He has spearheaded the organisation’s work in several key areas, including digital solutions; climate change management; the development of a new generation of farmers and of farmers’ organisations; systems management and multi-stakeholder approaches, and value-chain cooperation.
He has served or is currently serving in various capacities on several continental and global institutions and initiatives, such as the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), the World Economic Forum (WEF), African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), Malabo Montpellier Panel of Experts (MAMO), Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Generation Africa; the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification and USAID’s Bureau for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD)-subcommittee on Climate Change.
In addition, he has also contributed articles on various topics including digital solutions and climate change management in development publications, such as the Foreign Affairs Journal.

His ambition is to establish a strong farmer-centric policy think-tank and innovation centre that correctly projects the pain points of farmers and their perspectives, proactively contributes to addressing systemic agricultural development matters, covering such issues as transformation, equity, fairness, transparency, inclusion and voice.

Georgina Smith is a series producer for the Mediae company, which makes the popular reality TV show Munda Make-Over, or “farm make-over,” in Zambia. The make-over show was launched in Zambia following the success of its sister production, Shamba Shape Up in Kenya. The shows have reached millions of farmers, supporting them in adapting to climate change, increasing their incomes and improving their livelihoods. The first series of Munda Make-Over was launched in Zambia in October 2022.

Under her leadership, a multi-disciplinary team at Msingi East Africa scoped, designed and implemented multiple interventions across two growth industries (Aquaculture, Textiles & Apparel), creating over 800 jobs and crowding in others / convening further interventions from multiple private and public sector actors. She is passionate around improvement of fish genetics to improve incomes of SMEs in the sector. Her passion for need to invest and grow local SMES while working on the underlying enabling policy environment speaks to a lot of what AGRA does .

Besides her corporate commitments, she is a girl-child mentor and a social enterprise enthusiast that is working tirelessly to shine a light on the women of Africa as the catalytic link to sustained economic transformation. Her board involvement with the African Network for the Care of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ANECCA) and Doctors Choice among others have served to catalyze innovations to improve access and share emerging best practices in Africa.

As Policy and Impact Innovator, Wiebe aims to accelerate climate action through meaningful partnerships with individuals and organizations that want to bring positive change to the world’s food system. He leads Clim-Eat’s efforts towards key global platforms such as the UN’s Climate COP and spearheads a groundbreaking climate action project in Kenya.

Previously, Wiebe worked as Program Management Officer for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) with experiences in programme development and management, policy engagement, and administration. He studied the Master International Development at Wageningen University & Research, with a specialization in Sociology of Development and Change, and is passionate about climate change and development challenges in Africa. He chaired the first ever UNFCCC COP Food System Pavilion and has served as Co-Convener of the Enabling Environment Action Group of The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA). He also worked for the NWO (Dutch Research Council)’s WOTRO Science for Global Development department.