Dr Nelson K. Ojijo Olang’o, a Kenyan national, has taken up his post as the new Executive Secretary of Access Agriculture.
Before joining Access Agriculture, for 8 years Dr Nelson Ojijo worked as Lead Specialist, Capacity Development, at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Accra, Ghana. He is no stranger to the CGIAR, private sector, agricultural universities, NGOs and farmer organisations. As a team player and networker, Dr Ojijo brings with him a wealth of knowledge and connections from the agricultural research and development community.
In 2000, Dr Ojijo obtained his PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Tsukuba in Japan. For many years he lectured at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology as associate professor. Throughout his career, Dr Ojijo has established numerous contacts with the food industry.
To realise the vision for Access Agriculture, Dr Ojijo said he will focus on four key areas:
- Manage and inspire head office and staff across the organisation;
- Provide leadership for Access Agriculture in close consultation with the organisation’s Executive Committee;
- Build relationships with public and private organisations that promote use of farmer training videos across developing countries;
- Contribute to Access Agriculture’s resource mobilisation efforts.
Dr Nelson Ojijo commenced his new duties on January 3, 2017 after being appointed by the Governing Board on August 10, 2016.
The outgoing Executive Secretary, Bob Muchina, will advise Dr Ojijo on organisational matters and introduce him to the global network of partner organisations of Access Agriculture. Bob Muchina will zoom in on Kenya where he will continue his efforts to strengthen the agricultural extension and advisory system, as chairman of the Kenyan Forum of Agricultural Advisory Services (KEFAAS).
