Wilson Songa, Ph.D, MBS OGW

Dr. Wilson Songa is a highly accomplished agricultural policy and industry leader with over 40 years of experience shaping Kenya’s agriculture, trade, and industrialization sectors. As the Board Chairperson of Kaizen Top Mark, he provides strategic leadership to advance sustainable trade, regulatory excellence, and market-driven agricultural transformation.

From 2016 to 2024, Dr. Songa served as Senior Advisor for Syngenta Foundation East Africa, where he played a key role in shaping strategy and partnerships across the region. His leadership fostered collaboration among governments, the seed industry, and agriculture stakeholders, driving the harmonization of seed systems across the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Dr. Songa has held several high-profile government positions, such as Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, demonstrating his expertise in policy formulation, regulatory governance, and sectoral growth. He also served as Agriculture Secretary, Managing Director of the Horticultural Crops Development Authority, and CEO & Secretary of the Pest Control Products Board in the Ministry of Agriculture.

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Songa has contributed to various boards, including Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE Africa), the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) in the Netherlands, and the Kenya Trade Remedies Agency (KETRA). He currently chairs the board of TechnoServe Kenya and serves as a board member for the Seed Systems Group, Lachlan Kenya Limited, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, and the Executive Board of ASNET.

Dr. Songa’s distinguished service has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Best Performing Ministry Award (2005-2006). He has also been honored with state commendations, receiving the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) in 2006 and the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) in 2004 from the President of the Republic of Kenya.