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Board of Governors
FANRPAN Board of Governors
The Board of Governors, the highest governing body of FANRPAN, consists of Regional Economic Communities (COMESA and SADC); Government; Farmer Organization; Research Institution; Donor and Private Sector in the region. The Board is responsible for providing the policy oversight for the organization. The Board has the following members:
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COMESA Secretary General & FANRPAN Board Chairperson
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Mr Sindiso N Ngwenya
Mr Sindiso N Ngwenya is the Secretary-General of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the current FANRPAN Board Chairperson. COMESA is a regional economic community (REC) made up of 19 countries in north, eastern, central and southern Africa accounting for about half of Africa's population (400 million). COMESA is the largest of the eight RECs working under the leadership of the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
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Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Zambia Permanent Secretary
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Dr Sam Mundia
Dr Sam Mundia served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperatives, Zambia. In 2007 he retired from formal government service, however he is still actively involved in the Zambian agricultural sector as a consultant and advisor. Dr Mundia is a medical doctor and has several practices over which he maintains oversight.
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Chairperson, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria
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Prof. Johann Kirsten
Prof. Johann Kirsten graduated with a BSc Agric Hons (Agricultural Economics) degree from the University of Stellenbosch before he joined the Department of Agriculture in Pretoria. While in Pretoria he completed his M.Sc. Agric (cum laude) and then spent 2 years in London as South Africa's agricultural attaché. He returned to South Africa in 1992 when he joined the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Pretoria as lecturer. He completed his PhD in 1994 and in 1996 was appointed Professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development at the University of Pretoria.
Johann Kirsten has published 52 articles in peer reviewed journals as author and co-author and also co-edited 4 books. A total of 24 Masters Students and 4 PhD students completed their studies under his supervision. His main research interests relate the commercialization of farming in poor communities, land reform, and agricultural policy in general. He is currently appointed as a part-time council member of the National Agricultural Marketing Council and has been involved in many policy processes for the government. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Food Price Monitoring Committee appointed by the Minister of Agriculture.
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President, International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)
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Mr Ajay Vashee
Mr Ajay Vashee is a top African farm leader, currently serving as the President of the Zambian National Farmers Union (ZNFU). Mr Vashee was instrumental in the foundation in 1992 of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), a loose federation of farmers' organizations in Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia, for which he serves as the President as well. He was a member of Zambia's delegation to the WTO Ministerial Meetings in Seattle and Cancún and works closely with the International Trade Department on regional, bilateral, and multilateral trade negotiations, in particular the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Conference (SADC), the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. He represents ZNFU and SACAU in several international organizations, including as a Member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP).
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FANRPAN CEO
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Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda - ex officio
Dr Lindiwe Majele Sibanda was the FANRPAN Board Chair from 2002 - 2004 and is the current FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer, based in Pretoria, responsible for activities in 12 southern African countries. As CEO, Dr Sibanda is responsible for facilitating the development of tools and processes that promote harmonization of policies at regional level. This is achieved by reviewing policies, the legal framework, institutional arrangements and governance processes. Evidence for policy development is generated through policy research with results channeled to member states through the regional secretariats of SADC and COMESA, and directly through national governments, farmer organizations, donors, universities and national research organization, and the agri-business community. Dr Sibanda has worked with rural communities on the use of community theatre as a tool for rural dwellers to contribute to policy development. Nine rural districts in 6 SADC countries were engaged over a two year period. She has an extensive experience in multi-country programme coordination, strategy planning using the LogFrame and problem tree analysis approach; workshop facilitation, leading and management of multi-disciplinary consultancy teams; organizational restructuring and functional analysis for Public Institutions.
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Deputy Director-General: Programme Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Department of Agriculture South Africa
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Ms Vangile Titi
The working life of Ms Titi spans 4 decades and includes working as a registered nurse and midwife; as a development facilitator in a number of NGOs abroad and in South Africa, including the Association of Women's Clubs (Zimbabwe) and Environment and Development Agency - Trust (EDA-Trust, SA); as well as a researcher on poverty, trade and sustainable development with the International Institute for Sustainable development in Canada. Ms Titi served as a vice president for the Forum of African Voluntary Development Organisations (FAVDO) and as a member of the FAO Programme Committee for 2 years representing the Africa Region.
Within the public sector since 1997, Ms Titi has worked as a Chief Director for Agriculture and Veterinary Services in the Gauteng Province and is currently a Deputy Director General for Sector Services and Partnerships at the National Department of Agriculture, South Africa. Current responsibilities include International Relations, Research, Education and Training and Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Relations.
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FANR Directorate, SADC
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Ms Margaret Nyirenda
Nyirenda joined the SADC Secretariat in 1997 and worked as Senior Economist and Desk Officer for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources sector until March 2002. After the restructuring of SADC, she became Supervisor (acting director) of FANR until her appointment as the substantive director.
Margaret Nyirenda has extensive experience in management policy formulation and implementation, and project evaluation. Her work experience began in 1977 and she worked for the government of Malawi for 20 years in various ministries, including agriculture.
She was senior economist in the department of Economic Planning and Development from 1984 to 1989, when she became chief executive of the Malawi Mudzi Fund, a pilot scheme which later merged into the Malawi Rural Finance Company, covering the entire country.
From 1992 to 1997, Nyirenda was deputy chief economist in the Ministry of Finance and chief economist of the agriculture, food security and nutrition sections in the Department of Economic Planning and Development.She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Malawi, holds a post-graduate diploma in Production and Development Economics from the University of Wales, a Master of Science degree in Agriculture Economics from the same university, and a Masters degree in Public Policy and Management from Harvard University in the USA.
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