Newsletter June 2024
Make Noise!
Greetings from CARD Secretariat in Nairobi! We have been functioning but kept rather quiet. Under new leadership, the Secretariat has been re-engineering the way of working to SERVE YOU better.
We’re ready. We do not hesitate to make noise to achieve our common goal.
“Doubling the rice production by 2030”
Hello from the Team
First thing first, let us introduce ourselves. We are scattered team in various place in & out of Africa. We are tied together “to serve NRDS Taskforce better.”
Ken Fujie
General Coordinator
Dear Esteemed CARD Family,
I am Ken Fujie, successor to Dr. Yusuke Haneishi. With three decades of development experience across Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, my focus lies in industrial development, trade, and infrastructure. I was appointed as the General Coordinator to bring new aspects into CARD, I eagerly anticipate collaborating with rice experts to achieve our shared goals. Let us embark on this journey together.
Kota Miyazaki
Technical Coordinator
I am Kota Miyazaki an Agro-economist, in charge of the Francophone and Lusophone member countries since August 2023.Since the CARD has been established in 2008, the CARD secretariat has been supporting the development of NRDS and Concept Notes in each member country. We have recently been promoting the activities of M/E and holding the Annual Rice Sector Revue Meetings (ARSRM) in each country to stimulate more Development Partners to cooperate with the rice sector and the prosperity of rice sector in Africa. We are very happy to accompany you to realize the objective of NRDS. I look forward to seeing you during the mission in your country and in General Meeting.
Dr. Arumugam Kathiresan (Kathir)
Senior Regional Advisor (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, EAC, COMESA)
I have been working with CARD for more than 10 years now. I firmly believe that rice sector in Africa has significant potential in contributing to food security, job creation, economic growth, and social transformation. Yet the sector also faces some stern challenges such as low-productivity, climate change, and capacity constraints. With continent-wide free trade on the horizon and a rapidly growing demand for rice consumption; we need to urgently improve the efficiency of the local rice value chains. I regard CARD member countries’ National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS) taskforce members as ‘think-tanks.’ As a senior advisor from CARD, I look forward to working with you closely and guiding towards implementation of the NRDS in your country.
Ibrahima Sall
Senior Regional Advisor (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, ECOWAS)
I am Ibrahima Sall an Agro-economist engineer with more than 30 years of experience in Planning, development and monitoring-evaluation of Rural Sector Development Strategies, programs and projects in both public and private sectors. These years of experience have allowed me to support the promotion of public and private sector development, at national, regional and international levels specially country led processes and investment programmes, mainly in rice and sustainable development sector. Add to this, I have proven experience in the field of sustainable management of natural resources, the climate change, particularly as an expert negotiator and especially as an expert involved in the realization of the Great Green Wall and the promotion of low-carbon development in Senegal.
Dr. Michael Nasamu
Senior Regional Advisor (Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, [South Sudan], Sudan, Uganda, ECOWAS)
Michael A. Nasamu is a professional and independent agricultural and management consultant, researcher, and trainer with over 30 years’ experience. He specializes in strategic development of commodities in the agricultural value chains and capacity strengthening of actors along the value chains especially in the areas of good agricultural practices (GAP) and good processing practices (GPP). A graduate of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi where he obtained a PhD in Agronomy (2021), an M.sc from Friendship University Moscow Russia (1993) and a B.sc from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (1987). He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants and a Certified Management Consultant.
Carlos Zandamela
Senior Regional Advisor (Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia)
Mr. Zandamela has a Master of Science Degree in Agronomy from the University of the Philippines Los Banos. He worked with rice crop-based farming systems from 1983 to 1993 in Mozambique assisting the private sector, cooperatives, and small-scale farmers. For more than 10 years, was involved in a research team for the development, monitoring, and evaluation of rice germplasm in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, and Malawi including experts from the International Rice Research Institute and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems. From 1997 to 2003, Zandamela was engaged in technology transfer by leading the Sasakawa Global 2000 whose role was to promote improved technologies like high-quality seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanization.
Noriko Chege
Operational Coordinator
Noriko Chege joined the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) Secretariat team in 2016. Prior to that, she has had a career in finance in the banking industry in Japan and upon relocating to Kenya, she worked for Nissho Iwai (a then leading Japanese trading company) office in Kenya doubling as secretary and accountant. She later served as the pioneer CEO of the newly constituted office of the Japanese Society of Kenya (JSK) where she oversaw the activities of the then vibrant society. She has also worked in the Kenya tourism industry for 15 years as the overall operations manager. She continues to be a dedicated member of the CARD team.
Dr. Lillian Muasa
M&E Specialist
Dr. Lilian Muasa is a Monitoring and Evaluation Expert of the Coalition for Africa Rice Development (CARD). She is a seasoned research specialist with expertise in conducting project Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), scoping studies, and statistical data analysis (qualitative and quantitative). Her research interests span environmental and sustainability science, financial economics, agribusiness and food security, climate change, and livelihoods. Previously, she was with the Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute (JICA-RI). Dr. Muasa holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Sustainability Science from the University of Tokyo in Japan, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from Kenyatta University, Kenya. We are excited to share with you all the latest Rice sector updates, insights, and news from the CARD Secretariat!
Andry RANDRIANTSOA
Regional Advisor (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, Togo)
My name is RANDRIANTSOA Andry, and I recently joined the CARD Secretariat in May 2024. Since 2012, I have been actively involved in the activities of the Coalition for Rice Development in Africa (CARD), working actively as a member of the Madagascar Task Force. My professional journey spanning nearly twenty years has been primarily focused on rural development, with a specialized emphasis on the rice sector from 2012. I have collaborated closely with the ministry, concentrating on rice-focused project implementation (productivity, mechanization, irrigation, seeds, …). Add to this, my background in nutrition and agricultural products marketing will contribute to the successful execution of my duties within the CARD Secretariat.
Looking forward to collaborating with all of you to make rice development in Africa a reality.”
