News

• After almost ten years, the Executive Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Dr Denis Tumwesigye Kyetere, is taking a well-deserved retirement;
• Dr Canisius Kanangire, previously a member of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), takes over as AATF Executive Director;
• Founded in 2003, AATF's main focus is to provide farmers in sub-Saharan Africa with practical technological solutions to address their agricultural productivity constraints and improve their livelihoods;
• Below is the full AATF text.

"Our success comes from the support and collaboration of many partners", these were the words of AATF's founders in 2003 when it was first conceptualized and formed. 

In addition to the contribution of partners, AATF's success to date is due to the far-sighted vision and astute leadership within the institution.

Dr Denis Kyetere, or simply Denis as he prefers to be called, joined AATF in 2012. He saw that the fledgling institution urgently needed to build trust with its partners and internal stakeholders in the wake of hectic leadership challenges. At the time, AATF needed to sustain its gains and achieve growth. 

With a steady hand, always ready, Denis lifted the hearts and spirits of everyone he worked with at AATF. With clarity and compassion in equal measure, he wove around him an endearing network of friendships and lasting partnerships that would keep the organization on a stable trajectory over the ten years of his leadership at AATF.

Magnanimous to the extreme, Denis' demeanor exudes absolute humility. The man who prefers to be called simply by his first name has created a good harmony among staff that has helped create synergy within and between projects and departments, creating a place to focus on the organization's bigger picture - serving the interests of small farmers. 

A scientist without a reputation, Denis commanded the respect of the organization's scientists and experts by constantly pushing them to evaluate their work in relation to the ever-growing needs of small-scale farmers on the African continent.

His leadership and management style focused on team-building and teamwork, encouraging self-evaluation and ownership of results while building trust and mutual respect between AATF staff and partners.

Denis joined AATF with a solid record of impressive leadership credentials. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), chaired the Board of Directors of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) for two terms and led the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) in Uganda as Director General.

As Executive Director of AATF, Denis knew all too well that rural communities thrive when small farmers thrive. Under his leadership, AATF worked with partners to help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa access practical technological solutions that increased yields by 100 to 300 percent on several crops, having a direct impact on livelihoods.

His passion for agriculture is rooted in a childhood spent tending livestock and crops on the family farm in rural Uganda, and this has contributed to his desire to see an Africa with greater agricultural innovation.

Under his leadership, AATF has been able to demonstrate how progress is possible when the private sector, governments, NGOs, researchers and farmers work together to develop technologies that address specific production challenges. He has guided AATF and its partners in collaborations aimed at making this necessary difference, such as the development of maize varieties capable of withstanding the dual impact of drought and insect pests, including attacks by the armyworm, which can ruin an entire field in just a few days.

Denis has a particular interest in maize, as it is an essential food and cash crop for small-scale African farmers. In fact, his PhD research at Ohio State University, USA, identified and mapped the first gene to confer tolerance to the devastating disease maize streak virus (MSV). He sees real value in using technology to improve staple crops.

Under his leadership, AATF delivered on its promise to produce a cowpea crop resistant to the Maruca vitrata pod borer that had previously devastated farmers' crops. He led the organization in coordinating an effective and efficient international partnership that resulted in the historic release of the first transgenic food crop variety in Nigeria and Africa other than South Africa. Commercialized as SAMPEA 20-T in 2019, the pod-borer-resistant cowpea is a pioneering crop already appreciated by farmers who have tried it.

One of his popular statements is that "biotechnology is an approach that can complement conventional methods of crop improvement, address huge food deficits and reduce poverty in Africa. I am proud that AATF contributes to wealth creation and the health of small farmers. Biotechnology is a tool in the farmer's toolbox that contributes to food production with precision and speed."

In recognition of his dedication, commitment and tireless efforts, Denis was recently named Biotechnology Food Hero for 2020 by CropLife International. Innovation and initiating new ways of doing things were no strangers to Denis.

During its tenure, AATF created two new entities, including Compagnie Semencière QualiBasic, often referred to as QBS, and Agridrive. QBS is the first in Africa to focus entirely on the provision of foundation seed for seed companies as a contribution to the availability of certified seed, while Agridrive is a social enterprise that seeks to increase farmers' interest in commercial mechanization for sustainable agriculture.

Denis has also steered AATF through the commercialization of Africa's first indigenous hybrid rice varieties, with yields surpassing other varieties at over 10 tonnes per hectare, and seeds are already being produced for farmers' use. 

Another key achievement during his tenure was the implementation of the Cassava Mechanization Project (CAMAP), which revealed clear differences at farmer level - increasing yields by over 250%, incomes by over 180% and time savings by over 90%. CAMAP's success in Nigeria saw the birth of Agridrive SA, formed to continue providing mechanization services on a sustainable, commercial business model.

Denis' name will come to the fore when the success of biotechnology and technology transfer in Africa is written.

Although his mandate ends at a time when the world is facing a serious challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the operations of many organizations, thanks to his leadership, AATF and its partners have overcome the challenges by providing technology to farmers.

He leaves AATF with a diverse portfolio of projects, well endowed to fulfill their mandates, including those addressing the challenges of maize - (TELA Maize Project and TAAT Maize Compact), rice (Hybrid Rice for Africa and Nitrogen Efficient, Économe en Eau et Tolérant au Sel - NEWEST), an enabling environment for technology (OFAB, Politique TAAT), cowpeas (Niébé PBR), improved seeds (Seeds2B) and mechanization (CAMAP, AgriDrive), among others.

Under its umbrella, AATF has also established extensive networks with like-minded partners, including various governments, the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the Coordination Centre for Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), the Coalition for Rice Development in Africa (CARD), agricultural research organizations, the local and international private sector, farmers' and community organizations, faith-based organizations, academics and numerous development partners. Denis leaves AATF at a time when he should be celebrating some of the gains he has helped to champion.

Under his leadership, the organization has made steady progress towards its goal of 16 million farmers as proposed in its current 2018-2022 strategy.

Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Chairman of AATF's Board of Directors, paid a warm tribute to Denis, saying that his leadership had helped steer the organization towards a professional technology transfer outfit with a team of dedicated staff committed to bringing agricultural innovations to farmers as efficiently as possible.

As Dr. Kyetere retires, I wish to express the appreciation of the Board of Directors, staff and partners recognize his unwavering commitment and focus in leading AATF through some of the most challenging situations and the achievement of key strategic objectives."

Dr Ousmane Badiane, Chairman of the AATF Board of Directors

From the AATF, we say Kwaheri Denis, because you came, you improved and you delivered results when it mattered most. You worked hard in faithfulness and humility - Walking the talk, not talking the walk!

Dr Canisius Kanangire, AATF's new Executive Director

Dr Kanangire holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Aquatic Sciences, specializing in freshwater ecology, aquaculture and wetland management, both from the University of Namur in Belgium. He also holds a degree in biology with a specialization in environmental sciences and an undergraduate certificate in biology and chemistry, both from the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr Kanangire has over 35 years' experience in senior management positions, having previously served as Executive Secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) between 2011 and 2016 and Regional Director for Capacity Building, and Head of Strategic Planning and Management at the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) between 2004 and 2011.

Prior to these international positions, Dr Kanangire served as a lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Rwanda, and as a member of the Board of Directors of ISAR, the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda. Following restructuring, ISAR became the Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB).

"He is an astute administrator and experienced technocrat with extensive knowledge of leadership and management of international institutions, including developing strategic partnerships and networks at regional, continental and global levels," reads an AATF press release.

A native of Rwanda, Dr Kanangire speaks several languages, including English, French, Kiswahili and Kinyarwanda. As Executive Director of AATF, Dr Kanangire will lead the organization towards achieving its overall objectives and fulfilling its mandate for sub-Saharan Africa. AATF's core mission is to improve food security and reduce poverty by providing smallholder farmers with better access to improved agricultural technologies and know-how.