The International Potato Center is delighted to welcome Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, former Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission (AUC), to the CIP Board of Directors.
Whilst serving at the African Union, Mrs. Tumusiime’s portfolio covered multiple sectors including: crop agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, land and water, environment, climate change, disaster risk reduction and rural development.
Mrs. Tumusiime, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, a Masters in Economics, Planning and Managing Rural Development, and a Diploma in Women and Development, has also previously held several senior positions in the Government of the Republic of Uganda, including Commissioner of Agricultural Planning and Commissioner for Women in Development.
She has championed such causes as women’s empowerment, poverty eradication, food security and partnership building, and her efforts in advancing women in agriculture and agribusiness saw her awarded Uganda’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Women in March 2016.
Her work has yielded significant achievements within the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) policy framework for agricultural transformation, food security and prosperity, and other AU flagship programmes for priority setting for agriculture.
Mrs. Tumusiime spearheaded the coordination of Africa’s preparations for global climate change negotiations and the formulation of a continent wide, climate change strategy, in addition to steering Africa’s preparation of the Disaster Reduction Action Plan in line with the global Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015.
Her expertise and commitment have won her a number of key positions on regional and international organizations. She was a member of the Advisory Panel of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). She also sat on the Advisory Board for the World EXPO held in Milan 2015, the theme of which was Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, and which provided a global forum for issues related to food security and environmental sustainability.
Most recently, in April 2017, Mrs. Tumusiime was named New African Woman magazine’s New African Woman in Agriculture for her work emphasising the importance of food security and adding value to African goods while she was at the AU. The New African Woman Awards celebrate and honour African women making exceptional impact and driving change in their communities and countries.
Mrs. Tumusiime was officially nominated to the Board of Directors at CIP’s Board Meeting in Lima in May 2017.