Dr. Siboniso Moyo will chair the AWARD Steering Committee, with Professor Hortense Atta Diallo as vice chair.

At its 24th mid-year meeting, held on June 26th, 2024, the Steering Committee of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) appointed Dr. Siboniso Moyo as its Chair, effective July 2024.

Dr Moyo, Deputy Director General at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), takes over from Professor Lateef Sanni, who has served as the Chair of the AWARD Steering Committee since October 2019.

Dr. Moyo, an avid champion of AWARD, has served as a mentor in its flagship career development fellowship program and more recently as a member of the steering committee.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr Moyo reiterated her commitment to AWARD’s vision and underscored the need for continued investments in gender-responsive solutions.

I am honored and delighted to help steer AWARD toward a more impactful direction, I look forward to working with AWARD to achieve their bold new vision of fostering equitable agrifood systems that equally benefit men and women smallholders. Said Dr. Moyo

Dr. Moyo will be deputized by Professor Hortense Atta Diallo, Professor of Plant Pathology at Université Nangui Abrogoua (UNA) in Côte d’Ivoire, who has been appointed the Vice Chair of the AWARD Steering Committee. Professor Atta Diallo served as Vice-President of UNA from 2016 to 2023.

A member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), she first served on the scientific advisory panel of the One Planet Fellowship before joining the AWARD Steering Committee in 2021.

She expressed her excitement at the appointment, emphasizing her commitment to serve on the Steering Committee.

I am proud to be associated with the impactful work that AWARD continues to do across the African continent. I look forward to contributing to accelerated impact, especially now that AWARD is implementing a new bold strategy. Said Professor Atta Diallo