Josephine Songa, Ph.D

Dr. Josephine Songa is an expert in food systems, policy, institutional capacity building, and has vast experience in agriculture, trade and market systems across Africa. She is the Executive Director and Board Secretary of Kaizen Top Mark where she has overall strategic oversight. In this capacity, she leads initiatives on agricultural development, policy and regulatory frameworks, sustainable trade and institutional governance with a view to agri-food systems transformation.

Prior to Kaizen Top Mark, Dr. Songa was the Director of Policy and Institutional Capacity Building at RTI International, where she played a pivotal role in development of over 90 policy instruments at both national and county levels in Kenya.  Her leadership in market systems development and institutional reform has been instrumental in driving impactful advocacy wins and sustainable policy interventions. An accomplished leader, she has managed multidisciplinary teams in more than 20 agricultural projects across 21 African countries, and also developed over 100 publications to advance evidence-based sustainable agricultural and food system development. Dr. Songa has also managed consultants, institutional contracts and provided strategic oversight for institutional capacity assessments and strengthening processes that reinforce inclusive and resilient agricultural policies. 

In addition to her program leadership, Dr. Songa has served in several high-level governance bodies, such as Investment Committee member of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), board member of the Kenya Sugar Research Foundation (KESREF) and the Pesticides Control Products Board (PCPB) of Kenya. Passionate about food systems transformation and inclusive green growth, her life purpose is to unlock potential - particularly for youth and women.