African Food Fellowship connects new generation of leaders for food system change

"There are plenty of good intentions, strategies and agendas to achieve food systems change in Africa", says Joost Guijt, Director of the African Food Fellowship and Knowledge Manager at Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, part of Wageningen University & Research. "The problem is implementation. We need a new generation of leaders in the African agri-food sector to translate plans into real systemic changes and to stand firm for these changes."

That new generation is now coming together in the African Food Fellowship. In 2021, two groups of thirty professionals each in Kenya and Rwanda became Fellows, starting their leadership journey with the 10-month Food Systems Leadership Programme before graduating into respective country food fellowships. The Fellowship recruited two new groups of forty last year. The aim of the initiative is to help participants work on shifts in policy, power, investment and implementation together. Guijt: "We paid a lot of attention to the content of food system transformation and how leaders can act on it. We then work with Fellows to make this relevant for their daily jobs."

Close community

Two years after its launch, a lot has been achieved, according to Guijt: "First of all, we see that the Fellows present themselves much more emphatically as leaders of food system transition. They look fundamentally differently at the meaning of their work. Many have moved from working on isolated problems in the food system, to now focus more on the drivers for system change. Equally important, a strong reciprocity has developed between Fellows in both countries. They often felt alone and insecure in their roles and knew little or nothing of each other's existence. Because they found each other through the Fellowship, they draw courage and ideas from each other. We are seeing many cross-pollinations between actors that were not there before."

Impressed by the level

At the start two years ago, the big question for Guijt was whether it would succeed in finding the right high-quality people for the Fellowship in Kenya and Rwanda. Any doubts about that are gone, he says: "It took no effort at all to select talented and knowledgeable people. I am deeply impressed by the level of participants." He is therefore not worried for the coming years: "The plan is to start a new group in both countries every year for at least the next five years. In this way, the Fellowship will expand with a new layer every year."

Dealing better with stakeholders

Ruth Lewo Mwababu, a business developer in the Kenyan aquaculture sector, is an Aquaculture Fellow of the African Food Fellowship. In her work, she benefits greatly from the programme, she says: "First of all, the Fellowship taught me new skills and capacities for dealing with complex issues. If you want to bring aquaculture to local communities, you have to deal with many parties: from farmers, the local administration and policy makers to input suppliers. The Fellowship programme enables me to better deal with these stakeholders individually and as a group. I zoom out, zoom in and bring parties back to the table."

Ruth particularly encourages medium-level technical food system professionals to apply for the African Food Fellowship. These, she says, have the necessary sector experience and recognise the challenges at hand: "If you want to grow and expand your capabilities, this Fellowship is for you. Especially if you have an open mind and the ambition to become a critical thinker. It helps if you have already worked with different agricultural sub-sectors."

"Strong network needed"

"We are all interconnected", is the key lesson for Aime Kayumba, Access to Nutrition Fellow in Rwanda. Kayumba, founder and CEO of the Rural Development Initiative in his country, has learned that you need a strong network to make an impact. Thus, he uses his network for capacity development among farmers and for connecting them to the market: "We support them in production while ensuring their access to a reliable market."

"No walk in the park"

For Kenyan Monica Githige, Agri-Finance Fellow, the leadership programme is already having a major impact on her professional career. For instance, she owes her current position to it: "I was headhunted based on my role in the Fellowship."

Her advice to professionals considering signing up for the programme? "Be present, it is not a walk in the park. You must be self-disciplined and willing to roll up your sleeves. And above all, you have to be open to learning from others. But then a great time awaits you."