Fostina Mani

Experience

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  Eastern Africa Grain Council

  Apr 2007 - Apr 2011

  MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS; Eastern Africa Grain Council April 2007 – April 2011

  • Run successfully campaigns and was elected on the first EAGC board, the youngest, first, and only women.• Successfully represented the interest of regional traders especially the small and medium size organization amid large dominate market players, as Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Traders Representative.• Represented EAGC interest within the Government of Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, and was able to influence the drafting of the Kenya’s Warehouse Receipt Systems bill to include EAGC as private sector representative.• Participated and supported the rollout of an arbitration mechanism within the Eastern Africa grain sector.• Supported the development of a network of private sector agricultural commodity brokers, and agents who provide data on commodity within the region for regional marketing information systems. • Developed the concept note and proposal for Eastern Africa Grain Council’s Grain Training Institute and convinced the Board of Directors and management to register and establish the institute which today is a major income earner for the Grain Council.• Nominated as a private sector representative in COMESA’s agricultural implementation agency ACTESA’s Advisory Board.• Team leader in a delegation of experts send to the Government of Rwanda Ministry of Trade and Commerce to assist them in stakeholder consultation towards the development of RGCC Business and Marketing strategy. Show less

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  United Sates International University

  Feb 2009 - Feb 2010

  Head of Fundraising

  • Involved in the successful development of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (USD5,000,000) grant for the Agricultural Leadership and Management Institute to be hosted at USIU. • Initiated external relations and contacts with key partners, corporate, and donor agencies in order to generate non-tuition revenues to support the University’s programs and projects. • The development and preparation of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs grant proposal.• Prepared various reports (monitoring and evaluation, progress reports on programs, project reviews to donors, comprehensive analysis of local companies for business case development) for the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Development (CEED) at the School of Business. She was involved in the development of CEED’s strategic plan (2008-2012). • Identified sponsors for CEO Roundtables, CEED Entrepreneurship Conferences, Global Business School Network Annual Meetings and the Association of African Business Schools Business Leaders Dinner. Show less

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  Betta Grains www.bettagrains.com

  Jan 2010 - Oct 2020

  Group Marketing Director

  • Designed and developed the company’s website, the leading provider of private sector market information, through consistent, articulate, and coordination with regional traders.• Responsible for timely support for any leads generated from our online presences, direct calls from smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and traders.• Company liaison representing the company at senior level multisector platform and networks with private sector, government, and farmer groups.• Collaborated with other non-governmental organizations such as Chemonics Uganda Feed the Future project on Commodity Production and Marketing (CPM) Activity, World Vision and SNV partnership project DryDev, Kilimo Trust Bean Consortium in linking farmers from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya to markets.• Updating the company’s supply chain and market management systems which include production data, market prices and trends, providing analysis of speculative and government prevailing prices in highly dynamic African agricultural market.• Participated in policy and multi-stakeholder forums in the formulation of various policies within the grain sector. Show less

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  WASAA

  Jan 2010 - Oct 2020

  WASAA Kenya President

  - Founding board member of WASAA, women-focused organization that is registered in Mozambique in 2010 for promoting and advocating for women engagement in regional agribusiness.- Established a close working relationship with WASAA Mozambique in the chapter launch, and website support.- Responsible for developing and updated the directory of women in agribusiness in Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Swaziland, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe across the various agricultural value chain within the region. Show less

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  Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF)

  Dec 2014 - Apr 2015

  Consultant - Commodity Trade Expert, FarmTrade (USAID Funded Project)

  • Contracted to provide private sector expertise and networks in identifying, profiling, and bringing onboard leading industry players, USAID had anticipated when funding the project.• Demonstrated sales ability by a drastic increase in the number of business partnership agreements between farmers groups and millers by USD2, 375,783 in two months, by aggressively building business relationship with large millers and buyers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.• Travelled extensively within the Eastern Africa region following up buyers and successfully managed to negotiate business contracts for farmers from the following areas: Kenya; Meru, Narok, Kitale, Mombasa, Uganda; Kamuenge, Jinja, Mubende, Iganga, Tanzania; Mbeya, Njombe, Kilombero, Kibaha, Dodoma, Tabora.• Visited major cross border trade entry points in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania and effectively captured regional export/import commodity trade flows, procedure, feedbacks, and documented export/import procedure for farmer’s organizations to effectively engage in regional trade.• Contributed to the knowledge management component of the project by developing learning visits case studies and success stories on various issues on regional commodity trade, as well as using social media platform to provide updates on the Eastern Africa regional maize and rice commodity trade. • Created confidence within the team of national structured trade experts from Kenya Farmers Federation (KENAFF), Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA), and Tanzania Federation of Cooperatives (TFC) in increasing trade volumes amongst the members. Show less

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  Betta Grains

  Apr 2019 - now

  Global Trade Engagement Director,

  • Lead, oversee, and manage the marketing and trade facilitation teams, as well as oversight on the company’s public affairs communications.• Providing regular, consistent mentoring and coaching sessions for my teams.• Provide oversight and monitor the sales team customer relationship with our repeat international buyers, and sellers, especially on grades and standards certificates. • Provide guidance in ensuring products grade and specifications match client’s demands.• Delivering timely market information, and trade analysis reports to our global and regional trade partners and clients, on various dynamics in the Africa agricultural markets.• Developing new sustainable markets distribution channels for our key clients in EAC, COMESA and SADC markets, in line with our strategic direction and key performance. • Engaging directly with banks trade finance officers in identifying appropriate trade finance.• Responsible for the department’s budget planning and financial management, in liaison with the finance department in reporting to the senior management team. Show less

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  Fostina Mani Investments

  Oct 2020 - now

  FOUNDER, Mothers of Africa Mobile Soko

  FOUNDER, Mothers of Africa Mobile Soko, www.mothersofafricamobilesoko.com • Responsible for devising, driving, and developing our network database of buyers and sellers for our trade facilitation platform.• Implemented my innovation of an organic African marketplace that is using mobile technology to facilitate trade for smallholder farmers, traders especially women and youth.• Development of fundraising proposal with key partners in line with the strategic direction, to deliver market access to farmers.• Developing the organization’s reseller positioning and distribution program curriculum for the online training of distribution towards AfCFTA.• Developing partnerships agreement for sponsorships, marketing champaign, and events.• Building virtual community senior level stakeholders while ensuring enhanced end user experience.• Providing direction on regenerative agriculture as a solution to the store’s food waste. Show less