Kanayo Nwanze, Chairman & Chief Executive of FAYODE and Compact2025 Leadership Council member, will serve as special representative of the CGIAR at the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). Dr. Nwanze has over 40 years of expertise as former president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), former Director General of the CGIAR Research Center AfricaRica, and current member of CGIAR's System Management Board. As the representative of CGIAR at the UNFSS, Dr. Nwanze will provide a strong voice for independent science and partnerships to scale-up food systems innovations, especially those that work for smallholder farmers.
“The success of CGIAR on the ground is its ability to work with smallholder farmers. Because they, in the end, are the proof of the success of any research and development efforts,” he said.
The appointment comes as CGIAR prepares to unify the governance and strategic operations of its 15 Research Centers under a single system—as One CGIAR—to accelerate progress on the SDGs.
