Executive Director, African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA)
COFFEE EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
I have been actively engaged in the coffee industry since 2006, with a career deeply rooted in East Africa and focused on advancing sustainability, market access, cooperative governance, and inclusive value-chain development. My work has involved supporting cooperatives, exporters, and national institutions to enhance competitiveness, transparency, and value creation across the supply chain.
My journey in the coffee industry began when I established the East Africa office for Sustainable Harvest, where I served as the East Africa Relationship Coffee Manager. In this role, I was responsible for ensuring that producers’ coffees were properly valued, represented, and connected to the right coffee roasters—strengthening market access and transparency within the value chain.
A particularly relevant experience for this application was my role in co-founding and leading RWASHOSCCO (Rwanda Small Holder Specialty Coffee Company), the first producer-owned coffee export company in Rwanda. I served as it’s Managing Director for five years, during which I helped build it into one of the country’s most successful and sustainable producer-owned enterprises—an achievement that continues to empower smallholder farmers today.
Driven by a commitment to sustainability and quality, I also led the first coffee company in Rwanda to achieve Rainforest Alliance certification, setting a national benchmark for environmentally and socially responsible coffee production.
Currently, as Executive Director of the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), I lead efforts to advance the interests of Africa’s coffee sector through advocacy, market access facilitation, and convening platforms that promote knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation among stakeholders from origin to market.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR A SUSTAINABLE COFFEE SECTOR?
My vision for a sustainable coffee sector is one where:
– Producers earn a living and prosperous income, operating profitably with dignity and recognition.
– The coffee value chain is built on fairness, transparency, and shared accountability between producers and market actors.
– The sector champions regenerative and climate-smart agricultural practices, ensuring environmental and social sustainability for generations to come.
– Women and youth play an intentional and empowered role across all levels of the supply and value chain, driving inclusivity and innovation.
HOW WILL YOU SUPPORT GCP’S WORK AND GOAL?
1. Closing the living income gap – I want to help ensure that GCP’s work at origin meaningfully improves farmer incomes, aiming to close at least 25% of the income gap in more than 10 producing countries, so that smallholders can make a viable livelihood.
2. Strengthening economic viability locally – I support efforts to ensure that coffee farming is not just environmentally or socially sustainable, but also economically viable, so farmers have the means to adapt to challenges (climate, regulation, deforestation, etc.).
3. Scaling local collective action via Country Platforms – Backing up the work in Brazil, Kenya, Honduras, Vietnam, Uganda, Indonesia, etc., so that local stakeholders (farmers, governments, NGOs, roasters) align around shared priorities and implement strong Country Plans for Farmer Prosperity.
4. Improving sustainability / traceability frameworks – Supporting robust systems for traceability, regulatory compliance, and sustainability certification, so consumers, buyers, and farmers have transparency and accountability throughout the chain.
5. Growing sustainable sourcing globally – Pushing for more companies to commit to sourcing Sustainable / Traceable / Certified coffees, to amplify demand and market pull, which in turn reinforces the benefits for farmers in origin.
Relevant Skills
Throughout my career, I have led diverse teams, built multi-stakeholder partnerships, and successfully mobilized hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to expand AFCA’s programs.
My leadership has emphasized results-based management, transparency, and collaboration with both public and private sector partners. Managing large-scale budgets and complex regional initiatives has strengthened my governance, strategic planning, and financial oversight skills—assets that I bring to the GCP Board to help advance its global mission.
Achievements:
AFCA – Successfully led the organization through a critical turnaround period following the COVID-19 pandemic and prior management challenges. I oversaw the successful hosting of AFCA Conferences, which restored the organization’s primary revenue stream and ensured financial stability. In parallel, I rebuilt confidence and trust with the donor community, resulting in the mobilization of substantial funding—amounting to several hundred thousand dollars—from partners including ITC, USADF, ENABEL, and GIZ within just two years.
KZ Noir – Through my previous company, I led the capitalization of KZ Noir with investment from impact partners such as the Acumen Fund, enabling the establishment of an integrated coffee enterprise that engaged over 10,000 smallholder farmers. Under my leadership, the company achieved significant recognition, including being named Supplier of the Year by Taylors of Harrogate.
Previous board service, leadership or volunteer experience
I have served on several boards across the coffee sector, including the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), the Coffee Exporters Association of Rwanda, and the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE).
I currently sit on the Board of Equal Origins, where I continue to champion gender equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership in coffee. Over the past 15 years, I have held senior leadership positions—including Director and CEO roles—in coffee-sector organizations, overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets, leading cross-sector partnerships, and guiding institutional strategy and governance.
