Itai Makanda

I am an experienced leader, proponent and practitioner for improving livelihoods and food security for vulnerable families and communities through agriculture, alternative livelihoods, financial inclusion, policy and trade. I have over 20 years’ experience of which over 13 years are in program leadership, leading large and complex development, trade and policy projects programs of between US$18 million to US$47 million across Africa. I have vast experience in leadership, providing oversight to many programmatic and operations activities in complex multicultural and multi country contexts. These tasks include oversight on technical delivery, stakeholder engagements and relations, coordination, procurement, personnel management, and finance. I have worked in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Ghana, and Senegal. The worked focused on development through agriculture and trade, including agribusiness, alternative livelihoods, resilience, as well as policy review to remove “red tape” and aid trade. I have facilitated product development and trade of high quality, world class honey and shea butter from South Sudan communities whose products now pass international bureaux of standards, trading with Kenya, Canada, and United Arab Emirates. All this experience has sharpened my skills in working closely with communities, governments, regional institutions and intergovernmental bodies, donors, traders’ associations, civil society, farmer organizations, UN Agencies, implementing partners, and other stakeholders – playing the convener, coordinator and honest broker roles.