Professor Richard M. Mkandawire, Ph.D. Named a Worldwide Branding Professional of the Year in Agriculture

    BRYANSTON, SOUTH AFRICA, June 24, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prof. Richard M. Mkandawire, Vice President of African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, has been named a Worldwide Branding Professional of the Year in Agriculture. While inclusion in Worldwide Branding is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Worldwide Branding membership.

Prof. Mkandawire has 30 years of experience working in the agricultural and rural development sectors in Africa. In the past years, he has served as vice president of African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, an agricultural organization that collaborates with private businesses in order to establish sustainable and competitive fertilizer markets in Africa. In addition, the organization's efforts promote an African Green Revolution. Within this role, Prof. Mkandawire is able to utilize his expertise in agricultural policy research and development to engage national African governments, private sector and civil society actors to address the challenges of agriculture transformation in Africa. On a daily basis, he addresses a variety of business-related issues, including overseeing partnerships, public affairs and communication, as well as organizing forums to discuss present challenges that may hinder agriculture transformation with specific focus on fertilizer value chain development in Africa. In addition, Prof. Mkandawire focuses on engaging the governments to facilitate policy reforms that will spur agriculture transformation in Africa.

He previously spent eight years at the helm of leadership, rallying support for African smallholder farmers, and enhancing sustainable food security at household level, through building strategic alliances and support for the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Indeed the Obama Administration, under "Feed the Future," has supported CAADP in funding African countries in their quest to boost agriculture productivity and food security.

Prof. Mkandawire attributes his success within these professional endeavors to his passion for making a contribution to a new Africa that is rising yet paradoxically has left many of its citizens at the bottom ladder of poverty.

In preparation for his career, Prof. Mkandawire earned a Ph.D. in developmental studies from the University of East Anglia and a Master of Science in agricultural extension. He also holds a Master of Arts in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri and an honorary doctorate in agricultural science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The latter was bestowed upon him due to his efforts in advancing the CAADP agenda.

Prof. Mkandawire was recently inducted into Worldwide Branding in recognition of his accomplishments. He was also awarded the prestigious South African based Drivers of Change Award in 2008. Additionally, in 2012, Prof. Mkandawire was appointed as Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria due to his outstanding work in agricultural policy development and advocacy.

To supplement his extensive career, Prof. Mkandawire maintains professional affiliation with a number of boards and African institutions of higher learning. he sits on the ONE Campaign Advisory board for Africa, and he is chairperson of the Modernization of African Food Systems Advisory board- An initiative of USA and African Universities consortium In the future, he aims to continue providing support to his country and the African development community.

For more information about African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, please visit http://www.afap-partnership.org.

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