Argus Added Value Fertilizers Africa

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Bernard Vanlauwe joined IITA in Kenya in March 2012 to lead the Central Africa hub and the Natural Resource Management research area. In this capacity, he is also having an oversight role in the Humidtropics, the Water, Land, and Ecosystems, and the CCAFS CGIAR Research Programs. Prior to this recent appointment, he was the leader of the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) program of the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility research area of CIAT (TSBF-CIAT). He joined CIAT-TSBF in 2001 and led the development, adaptation, and dissemination of best ISFM options in various agro-ecological zones in sub-Saharan Africa. In September 2010, the obtained a Visiting Professor position at the Swedish Agricultural University in Uppsala in the Soils and Environment Department. Before, he worked at IITA in Nigeria (1991 – 2000) and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1989-1991), focusing on unraveling the mechanisms underlying nutrient and soil organic matter dynamics in tropical agro-ecosystems. In that context, he obtained his PhD in 1996 in Applied Biological Sciences. He has published over 150 papers in scientific journals and over 160 in other forms and has (co-) supervised over 40 PhD and over 60 MSc students. Read less

Hon. Bazivamo has served as Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors at the EAC since 2016. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Secretary General, Hon. Bazivamo was a Member of Parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). Hon. Bazivamo has been a Minister in Rwanda for 9 years from 2002 until 2011 as Minister for Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water and Mines, Minister of Local Government and Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources among others. Hon Bazivamo is an Engineer in Agriculture by profession. He has been a teacher and holds a Masters’ Degree in Social-Economics from the University of Goettingen in Germany. Hon. Bazivamo has also worked with a number of NGOs before joining the Public Sector as a Governor and later on as the First Executive Secretary of the Rwandan National Electoral Commission (NEC) from where he was appointed a Minister. Read less

Clement Tulezi, the Chief Executive of the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) oversees the accomplishment of the trade association’s mission. KFC membership represents over 80 percent of flower exports. Since 1996, the Council has remained at the forefront of establishing Kenya as a leading worldwide player in the international floriculture industry. Kenya is ranked among the top 4 worldwide in exports. Mr. Tulezi has over 23-years driving marketing and communications at local and international levels. He has an excellent understanding of linkages within agricultural market systems & value chains. Clement h s spent a bulk of the years in policy advocacy, media and democratic governance. Additionally, he has supported peace-building and conflict resolution in a number of countries across the African continent. Read less

Mr. Muriuki holds a BSc. (Chem), UoN and MSc (Soil Fertility) Wageningen degrees. He is currently the Managing Director for MEA Ltd., Chairman of Fertilizer Association of Kenya (FAK) and Co-chair of Kenya Fertilizer Platform (KeFERT). Mr. Muriuki has a wealth of experience in soil analysis, soil fertility management, fertilizer blending and fertilizer trading. Read less

Henry Ogola has been involved in fertilizer for nearly 40 years after graduating with BSc and MSc degrees in Agriculture (Soil science) and Agricultural Economics. He has worked occupied senior positions in the Ministry of Agriculture Kenya, being in charge of fertilizer docket and private sector fertilizer companies involved in importation and marketing of fertilizer. Mr Ogola has an in-depth knowledge of the fertilizer market in East Africa and is a recognized consultant on various aspects of the fertilizer industry. He's also a long serving member of Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) - Fertilizer and Soil Conditioners Technical Committee. Read less

James is the rural development expert and Agricultural Specialist with more than 20 years of experience working with small business and Small Holder Agricultural in Africa. He is currently the Managing Director of the Agricultural Market Development Trust (AGMARK) a regional development organization supporting smallholder farmers to access inputs and technologies for increased production and output markets. AGMARK has been a Key player in small holder agricultural sector in the region since 2004, working with Government Private sector and development partners to develop and implement innovative models for smallholder farmers and pastoralists to access improved inputs for increased Agricultural production and create markets production in the East and Southern African region. AGMARK work has impacted over 280,000 smallholder farmers with project funding of over $ 20 Million since its inception in 2004. James has extensive experience in enterprise development in Africa – having traveled widely within the region consulting, training and offering technical support to government institutions, private Agricultural Input supply companies and local development institutions on issues relating to smallholder agricultural input access and output marketing. Read less

Jeremy founded east Africa's largest agricultural service provider, Crop Nutrition Laboratory Service (Cropnuts) 20 years ago in Kenya. Already a household name for large and medium-size farms seeking soil, plant, water and disease testing, fertiliser recommendations and agronomy advice, Cropnuts has for the last five years been rolling out programmes for smallholders, building one of the largest soil databases in sub-Saharan Africa. Much of the business has now shifted from soil sampling to data mining. With a specific department looking at precision agriculture, satellite and weather data, yield predictions and soil mapping, Cropnuts offers fertilizer companies and farmers tailor-made solutions for crops, regions and even fields. Jeremy has a master’s in soil science from the UK’s University of Reading. Read less

Job Kihara is a soil fertility expert working with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). He has over 15 years’ experience working in sub-Saharan Africa mainly East and southern Africa. He holds a PhD in agriculture from the university of Bonn, Germany. He has published widely on soil fertility issues (over 30 publications) including on soil secondary and micronutrients. Read less

John is responsible for providing commercial support including field trials, technical sales and regulatory education support to KAS’ distributors in Europe and Africa. Prior to working with KAS’s customers in more of a commercial role, he coordinated worldwide research on AGROTAIN and other pipeline technologies and helped train distributors, retailers and farmers on the benefits of urease and nitrification inhibitors. Read less

John is Deputy Director for Field Research for the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in Nairobi. He has 26 years’ experience in agricultural research and development in various African environments and crop types. His current area of focus is balanced crop nutrition — addressing crop nutrient deficiencies and soil acidity constraints with balanced fertilizers and lime. John also has expertise in soil and plant analysis, conservation practices and integrated soil fertility. He has a doctorate in agronomy from Purdue University, Indiana, and a master’s degree in agronomy and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University. Read less

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Lilian is a Soil Scientist who specialises in agricultural management practices that enhance soil fertility, sustainable crop production and environmental quality. She is the Senior Agronomist for Israel Chemical Limited (ICL) in east Africa based in Nairobi, providing technical support for specialty fertilizers as well as training farmers and extension service providers on soil and crop nutrition management. She also acts as the International Potash Institute (IPI) co-ordinator for IPI activities in eastern Africa responsible for promoting potash market development. After many years abroad for her studies, including an MSc in plant pathology and entomology from Hanover University and a PhD in environmental soil science from the University of Tennessee, Lilian returned to Kenya in 2015 with a vision of transforming the agricultural landscape of her country. Read less

Mike is responsible for managing the London editorial fertilizer team and helps to develop new contacts. He is the Editor of Argus’ weekly Phosphates Report and the Monthly Africa Fertilizer Supplement, and the main contributor to the Monthly Phosphates Outlook. He also has special responsibility for the emerging African sector. Read less

Reinder is an entrepreneur who has set up numerous agricultural and food safety laboratories over the past 20 years on three continents for organisations including TNO, BLGG/Eurofins AgriQ and SoilCares. In the past five years, he has specialised in rolling out soil testing laboratories across Africa, building databases and apps to help farmers improve their production and restore soils. Read less

Wesley Rotich is a dynamic and passionate entrepreneur, innovator and business executive with more than 20 years of experience in the management of small and large business enterprises. He has worked at Paksons Enterprises Limited at various levels including in sales, marketing and operations at managerial level since inception. He has an MBA in finance and marketing from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India. B.COM (HONS), DCA. Wesley has attended many training programmes in agro-business management, notably a certificate training programme in fertilizer and soil fertility management under a GTZ/GOK initiative. He currently serves as the Executive Director in charge of finance, operations and strategy at Paksons Enterprises, a large agro-dealer business that sources, packages, brands and distributes high-quality farm inputs to farmers and small agro-based businesses in western Kenya. Wesley is a frequent speaker at industry events and the winner of numerous awards and accolades, including an Innovation award from Syngenta and a listing in the LSEG Companies Inspire Africa 2019 report. He has spearheaded the company in showcasing many agricultural expositions as sponsors of several agro-based community events and trade shows geared towards better educating farmers and small business enterprises. Wesley is the current chair of the county agro-dealers association in Kericho County and a member of the National Steering Committee. Having worked with many small to medium-scale agro-dealers, Wesley is well versed in the challenges facing small to medium-scale agro-dealer enterprises in Kenya and is fully conversant with last-mile distribution systems and the supply chain challenges in the sector. Read less

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