Alexandre Dahan

Leveraging twenty plus years previous experience in international trade of agricultural commodities, has worked for the last sixteen years in the management and implementation of aid supported international development projects around the world. Most recently designing, setting up and leading an USDA funded agricultural project in Laos (Jan 2019 - June 2024) including 18 months NOFO extension). Experience includes overall design and management of development project; value chain analysis to develop and implement strategic, inclusive, innovative and sustainable strategies; market driven commodity selection and support; developing and repositioning commodities in-line with international demand; public and private sector engagement through PPP; facilitating effective joint partnerships between previously non-aligned partners/factions/groups, supporting effective business enabling environment; economic reform and policy; developing and supporting an enabling legislative and service environment; private sector development, public sector development, SME and M/SME development; institutional and sector capacity building; developing successful supply of financing for industry; foreign direct investment; financial technology and mobile money. The focus on weather impact support and waeter smart solutions has grown exponentially over the last number of years with identification of and access provision to innovate weather smart technologies and tools appropriate across individual value chains as well as support to farmers and farmer groups in adoption, roll out and scaling up of climate smart technologies and practices. Since the start of the project our joint focus has been on sustainable achievements and market readiness but also in setting solid foundations for ongoing growth in market sector strength, value chain competitiveness, and ensure that market readiness is not just based on the commodity but the strength of the sector to maximize potential throughout the entire value chain, with increased ability to adapt and maximize potential based on an ever-changing environment. Increasing the value of agriculture through identification and creation of robust, effective agricultural market linkages internationally, regionally and locally, based on impediments (including conflict/post-conflict environments, political unrest, natural/climatic disasters, pandemic etc) and also macro and sector specific opportunities such as repositioning the coffee sector to meet demand in the highly lucrative international specialty coffee market; and through non-agricultural market linkages such as a supplier meeting the demand for high value outputs from processed agricultural products such as essential oils, and leveraging benefit for the local community in addition to market linkages by creating high value market linkages for the super food sacha inchi while also utilising a bi-product of sacha inchi which could otherwise be regarded as waste to be produced as health food biscuits and distributed across the host country and served as 31 million school meals supplement. SKILLS AND COMPETENECIES * With a focus on individual and joint success supported by effective communication and motivational drivers, long term experience in developing and maintaining positive, collaborative, productive and sustained stakeholder relationships including within each project country and/or region, within the local team, with HO and funder and within the development environment. This focus also supports effective facilitation of partnerships between partners and/or groups who have not previously worked together/where trust is an impediment and/or have had previous failure of success for one or more partners working together. * Development project management experience includes project design, strategy development and implementation, creating a path to implementation and sustainable success, technical oversight and leadership. * Extensive experience and learning in market systems approach and sustainable development, ability to determine key issues and best solutions in both challenging and dynamic environments supported by strong conceptual, lateral thinking and stakeholder management skills. * Ongoing experience development in production, processing, investment and trading regimes for agricultural commodities and technologies managed loan programs, grant funds and matching grant instruments to stimulate competitiveness, sustainable growth, added value and development in the agricultural sector. Managed the design (including machinery), construction and commissioning of start-up factories, cold storages, processing plants and refurbishing to international standards obsolete factories for coffee, pulses, grains, potatoes, citrus this including packing houses for fresh conventional and organic produce. * Extensive experience overseeing financial and administrative project management, personnel (including multi-cultural and/or remote teams and supported by a focus on seeing and developing potential) and ensuring high quality M&E reporting, monitoring and evaluation and learning. COMMODITIES/VALUE CHAINS/SUBSECTORS (Conventional, Organic & Fair Trade; Commodity and Bi products) Coffee (including raising standards to specialty coffee standards, trade, and marketing), Cassava (Tapioca), Cabbage, Sacha Inchi, Soybean, Ginger, Citrus, Dates, Olives, Potatoes, Fresh & Dried Herbs, Apples, Pears, Pineapple, Citrus, Pomegranates, Grapes, Dried Fruits and Nuts, Exotics, Avocadoes, Mango, Berries, Carrots, Celery, Rice, Honey, IQF Products (Frozen), Fresh Flowers, Hydroponics, Aquaponics. COUNTRIES WORKED Asia/Pacific: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Middle East/Africa: West Bank, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Ethiopia, Morocco, Egypt, UAE, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tunisia Europe/Central Asia: Georgia, UK, Switzerland, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania The Americas: USA, Cuba, Costa Rica, Belize, Peru, Chile