Lindiwe Majela Sibanda biography

Sibanda has over 25 years of trans-disciplinary experience in agriculture and rural development, public and private sector reforms and management. This experience includes helping government ministries of agriculture to streamline their activities and create a conducive environment for the private sector; and, establishing and strengthening state and non-state actor evidence based policy advocacy platforms.

Globally, Lindiwe is a recognized leader in agriculture, climate change and nutrition. She is a serving member of, World Economic Forum Council on the future of Food security and Agriculture; the Australia ACIAR Policy Advisory Council; the EAT-Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthy Food Systems; the United Nations (UN) Committee for Policy Development (CDP);is a champion for the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 targeting 50% reduction in food loss and waste by 2030; and is a member of the African Union Commission (AUC) Leadership Council. She has received numerous awards for her contribution towards agriculture and food security, including the Yara- Africa Prize in 2013.  She holds a Masters and Ph.D in Agriculture from the University of Reading, UK.

She was formerly Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). AGRA’s vision is to catalyze and sustain inclusive agriculture transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for smallholder farmer households. Her portfolio includes facilitating strategic partnerships for business growth, mobilizing public and private sector for an enabling business environment, and structuring affordable and accessible financial products for SMEs and smallholder farmers across Africa.