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 agricultural transformation.

Dr. Songa has demonstrated capacity in policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement. She has

successfully influenced major policy reforms and established public-private partnerships that

promote food and nutrition security. Her management portfolio includes more than 20 agricultural

projects covering 21 countries in Africa, and also developed over 100 publications to advance

evidence-based agricultural 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, consultants, and

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,

including as an Investment Committee member of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), and

also, as a board member of the Kenya Sugar Research Foundation (KESREF) and the Pesticides

Control Products Board (PCPB). Passionate about food systems transformation and inclusive green

growth, her life purpose is to unlock potential -particularly for youth and women.