AGCO AFRICA SUMMIT 2016

By Nyasha Mudukuti, AGCO Africa Ambassador 2016

‘Okay, the mic is set Nyasha, are you ready?’…. l looked at the AGCO team and simply nodded, l could feel my adrenaline level rising up. Just across me stood Jean Kaahwa, AGCO Africa Ambassador 2015, with an encouraging look. Couple of minutes later l was on stage with Prof. Martin Richenhagen, CEO of AGCO, and Dr. Rob Smith, AGCO‘s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Europe, Africa and Middle East. l could not believe l was sharing the stage with these two great men.

 l hardly remember what l said on stage, but l vividly remember opening my eyes, standing in front of hundreds of guests. Not just ordinary guests, these were key stakeholders and major players in the agricultural sector. Most of which l had only read about, and never ever dreamt l could be able to shake hands and later on dine with. This is the beauty of being the AGCO Africa Ambassador….. lol.

Unlike Joy and Jean, the previous Ambassadors, my journey to being the AGCO Africa Ambassador had it’s own hurdles. It took me two years to stand on that stage, and I am glad l did not give up. So here l am in Berlin, super cold, first time in Europe and first snow experience. Fast forward to my hotel room, couple of hours after arriving, Sue Musunga Chuzu, the first AGCO Africa Ambassador checked on me and by default she babysat me. She shared with me her moderation experience, toured Berlin with me and let‘s not forget about that crazy shopping experience. Later in the evening I had my first meeting with the rest of the AGCO team welcoming me aboard.

So back on stage, I was listening to every panel discussion and thought about how relevant the issues were to my continent. The best part of the conference for me was listening to the success stories of two young agri-preneurs Eric Kaduru, the Founder of KadAfrica, and Ally Angula, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Leap Holdings. A revolution is not a revolution without young people and these two stories together with AGCO, Rabobank, Bayer CropScience made me realize that the transformation of the African agricultural sector is here and it‘s NOW!!!!