Prof. Sidi Osho has been elected as chairperson of the board of governors for the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN).
Osho, a Nigerian, was elected at a meeting of FANRPAN board of
governors in Pretoria, South Africa early this month.
She takes over from Sindiso Ngwenya, the immediate past secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), whose term had ended.
Confirming their approval, network members at the extraordinary general meeting, unanimously endorsed her election.
Speaking during his handover speech, the outgoing board chairman, Sindiso Ngwenya, said, “The election of Professor Osho marks the first time that the FANRPAN Board will be chaired by
a person from outside of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.”
He said that given the network’s historical background of having
been created as a response to a call by ministers of agriculture from the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region, the recent leadership developments indicated the network’s seriousness
to consummate its “Africawide” mandate, as bestowed upon it in 2010.
“During Professor Osho’s tenure, we anticipate that the network’s geographical coverage will extend to the central, northern, and
western regions of Africa,” Ngwenya said.
Osho is an award winning and seasoned administrator with over
35 years’ experience in strategic planning, and public and private sector partnerships. She served as the first vice chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Nigeria, and through her wealth of experience, led the development of the university into the world renowned institution that it is today, within a period of four years.
