Vice President, Country Director
Dr. Candida Nakhumwa manages the Agricultural Transformation Initiative activities in the country. She works closely with smallholder farmer organizations and agricultural cooperatives to identify and develop structured value chains that will promote transformation and inclusive growth for Malawian farmers.
Additionally, she is responsible for management of strategic partnerships with government and private sector development partners and civil society in Malawi’s agriculture sector.
Dr. Nakhumwa has extensive experience in agricultural marketing and agribusiness, and has collaborated with government and key stakeholders to establish agriculture, trade, and finance policies. She has spent most of her career working on the development of farmers and farming organizations in Malawi, including managing contract farming initiatives, value chain financing for farmers, and connections to input and output markets. Most recently, Dr. Nakhumwa served as Director of Research, Policy, and Partnerships at the Farmers Union of Malawi, where she coordinated research, policy engagement, and strategic partnerships; evaluation and communication; knowledge systems; and institutional planning to support the organization’s mission and purpose.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Nakhumwa worked for the National Smallholder Farmers Association as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Communications Manager. Additionally, she was an Economist for the International Fertilizer Development Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. Dr. Nakhumwa has conducted extensive research and consulting work in the areas of smallholder market access for farmers, agricultural water management, Malawi’s legume and dairy industry, and horticultural development.
Dr. Nakhumwa currently sits on the board of the NICO Life Insurance Company, NICO Pensions, and Bunda Farm Limited and is active in several other government-led technical working groups, including the Malawi Partnership for Aflatoxin Control Technical Working Research and Technology Dissemination Technical Working Group.
Dr. Nakhumwa holds a PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Greenwich, UK. She also earned her MS and BS degrees in Agricultural Economics and Agriculture, respectively, from the University of Malawi, Bunda College of Agriculture.
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