Jorge Andrade is a plant pathologist at the International Potato Center (CIP) and the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas. He specializes in potato seed systems and late blight epidemiology with more than 20 years of experience in the Andes and several countries in Africa and Asia. Jorge holds a PhD in Plant Pathology from Cornell University in New York.

Doudou is a socio-economist who has been working at IITA for over 8 years. He is involved in conducting and analyzing impact studies, value chains for agribusiness development and food security in the Great Lake region and in the DRC in particular. He has been working under the Tools4Seedsystems project in the DRC for over a year. He has conducted baseline studies for many projects in the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Cameroon. He has also worked with Food for hungry (Fh) on household surveys to identify Bacterial Wilt (BXW) and treatment methods in the Walungu and Mwenga territories of South Kivu. He began his career with Louvain Coopération in the monitoring and evaluation of a food security project in Louvain Coopération’s intervention sites in South Kivu, DRC.

Victorine Fornkwa is a Potato Specialist at the International Potato Center based in  Bafoussam, Cameroon. Victorine has over 15 years’ experience working in Research for Development teams with focus on crop improvement through plant biotechnology techniques and value chain development in Cameroon. She has participated in the capacity building of stakeholders across value chains like potato, banana, plantain, yam and cassava. Before joining CIP, Victorine worked as a tissue culture specialist in IITA and IRAD Cameroon. She has a MSc in Biochemistry and is currently pursuing a PHD in the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon focusing on potato disease diagnostics and biocontrol. 

Tatah Karen J’ai is a field Agent with Nascent solutions Inc. Cameroon, one of the USAID BHA implementing partners. She is currently coordinating Nascent activities in Oku Sub Division in the North West of Cameroon. Currently she is training Garden delegates on the production sweet potato root and seeds to support in Home grown school feeding.

Bebel Nguepi is a specialist in knowledge management and agribusiness, with practical experience in the agricultural value chain, including research, production, extension services, data analysis as well as cross-cutting areas such as communication and capacity building applied to the rural development sector. Technically equipped and perfectly bilingual, Mr. Bebel Parfait Nguepi has set up nurseries with thousands of grafted lemon, mango and avocado trees, as well as cocoa and plantain seedlings. Holder of a Master’s degree in Seed Technology He founded his company SEED FOR AGRICULTURE in 2019, where the main services are seed production and distribution, farm and orchard planning and management, ICT services for agriculture and irrigation systems. He is an analytical and results-oriented professional with over six years’ experience in development organizations, including the Cameroon Forum for Agricultural Advisory services (CAMFAAS), PROCASUR Corporation, the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) network and the International Potato Center.

Kwame Ogero is an Associate Scientist at the International Potato Center (CIP). He is also the Country Representative for Tanzania. He is involved in efforts geared towards developing sustainable seed systems for roots, tubers and banana crops with a specific focus on sweetpotato. His research is focusing on developing crop-specific models and decision support systems for understanding and managing seed degeneration. This includes identifying scenarios where on-farm management, resistant varieties, and seed replacement management strategies would be most optimal. Kwame is also interested in understanding effects of climate change on epidemiology of crop viruses and socioeconomic factors that influence farmers’ decisions to use different sources of seed including formal seed systems for access to improved varieties. He is a Co-Lead of the ‘Tools4SeedSystems: working towards resilience through root, tuber and banana crops in humanitarian settings’ project. In addition, he leads the Sweetpotato Component of the Program for Seed Systems Innovations for Vegetatively Propagated Crops in Africa (PROSSIVA) and co-leads a cross-crop Cross Cutting Component of the same program. Kwame serves on the Committee of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops – Africa Branch (ISTRC – AB) as the Eastern Africa Representative. Previously, Kwame worked at the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Afri Center as a Liaison Officer for the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), Kenya Chapter, gaining vast experience in science communication and policy outreach. He holds a PhD in Ecological Plant Virology from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Wageningen, The Netherlands, an MSc. degree in Agronomy from Kenyatta University and a BSc. Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nairobi, both in Nairobi, Kenya. Kwame’s aspiration is to work with like-minded partners in developing and disseminating innovative technologies that can contribute towards improving global food security.

Bénédique Paul is agro-economist and entrepreneurship specialist at Université Quisqueya (UNIQ). He specializes in institutions, innovations and entrepreneurship with more than 20 years of experience in Haiti’s agricultural context. Bénédique holds a PhD in Economics from Montpellier University in France, after a Master degree in management, and an agricultural engineer diploma.