The Secretary General (SG) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Common Market. The SG represents the Common Market in the exercise of its legal personality and acts as the secretary to the Authority and the Council. This office ensures that the objectives set out in this COMESA Treaty are attained
Christabel Iliampu is a strategic thinker with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. She has extensive experience of over 10 years working in the Media and Communication industry and has worked for various national, regional, and international institutions as a Communications Specialist. Her visionary perspective on communication has positioned her as an expert in Strategic Communication, Marketing, and International Relations.
Christabel has an immense passion for communication, marketing, research, and stakeholder engagement. Over time, she has established herself as an innovative and creative digital content developer for international brands.
In her formative career years, she worked as a Communication and Research Officer with the Media Institute of Southern Africa where
she contributed immensely to research publications, advocacy, and increasing organizational brand through communication.
Christabel has had previous engagements with the World Bank Group, the United Nations Development Programme, and with the Ministry of Agriculture.
She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Africa and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Zambia.
As a performance-driven Communication Specialist, Christabel is keen and enthusiastic about using her expertise to develop and execute communication and knowledge management strategies to drive the ACTESA communication aspirations.
John Tumpale Chambamakasa is an Agribusiness Advisor with over 10 years of experience working at various levels in the enterprise/Agribusiness, SME/Cooperatives development sector in Southern and Eastern Africa. He has held various roles including Agribusiness advisor, coach, mentor, guide, and trainer in various value chains including horticulture, livestock, legumes, maize and rice.
He brings on board an in-depth understanding of the challenges and issues confronting Agricultural based enterprises which include: SMEs and MSMEs in developing countries, along with robust common sense and the right attitude.
He is a trained and experienced Agri-enterprise development specialist with a focus in Agri SMEs/Cooperatives. He holds a Master’s in Agribusiness management from Rome Business School, is a Certified Management Accountant from Calwest University, and has a bachelor’s degree in applied accounting and finance from Malawi College of Accountancy.
Apollo Owuor is an Agri-Business Expert who has served in the Horticulture subsector since 1996. He’s interests and areas of expertise include business development, value chain analysis, project management, agri-food systems, supply chain management and solutions among others. He holds a BSc in Agricultural Economics from Egerton University.
He has served as Chair of the Board of Directors at Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK), Board member of Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) and until recently Board member of COLEACP now COLEAD.
Apollo has served as the General Manager – Agronomy at East African Growers until recently, where his responsibilities included ensuring the implementation of a sustainable supply base to meet the company and customer requirements, ensuring a robust food safety management system, implementing a supply base information management system and establishing strategic partnerships with key finance institutions, input suppliers, and other enablers such as NGOs and development partners.
He has worked as a Project Lead for Fruitful Farms and Ngong Veg Limited, where he set up farm business plans and managed the implementation of supply chains, farm strategic development, markets and customer base.
In addition to these engagements, Apollo has held visiting at various international positions institutions to advance the course for Small Holder Farming in Africa, promoting the business for Kenyan Horticultural produce in Africa, EU and the UK.
Over the years, he has participated in various high-level panel engagements advancing courses of Sustainable Agriculture in the Horticulture subsector, addressing Sanitary and Phytosanitary challenges, addressing matters affecting Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers to trade.
Fungwa Kabati is the finance and planning specialist at the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA).
She has a strong background in finance and strategic planning. She plays a key role in overseeing the financial operations and effective funds management.
She has a keen understanding of the agricultural sector that enables her to contribute to the development of sustainable solutions that support the organizations growth making her valuable.
Dr. John Mukuka is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), a Specialised Agency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) since July 2022. He has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the COMESA EAC Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) between 2023-2028.
Other ACTESA Staple Food Programmes, that he has assisted in implementation is the COMESA Seed Trade Harmonisation Implementation Plan (COMSHIP) since 2014 and the COMESA Biosafety and Biotechnology Implementation Plan (COMBIP). In 2023, he was instrumental in the development of the COMESA Regional Fertilizer Programme (COMFREP) and the COMESA Bioprotectants Harmonisation Programme (COMBIHAP).
He worked as an Agricultural Research Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture from June 1998 to May 2010 and joined the ACTESA Secretariat in June 2010 as a Seed Development Expert. From July 2010, he played a crucial role in coming up with the COMESA Seed Trade Harmonization Regulations gazetted in 2014 that led to the development of the COMESA Seed Harmonization Implementation Plan (COMSHIP) endorsed by the COMESA Council of Ministers in January 2015. COMSHIP has advanced the COMESA Seed Industry from 250,000MT in 2010 to over 500,000MT in of certified seeds in 2023.
He graduated from the University of Zambia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Crop Science in 1996, obtained a Master of Science Degree in Nematology from the University of Gent, Belgium in 2003 and earned a Doctor of Agriculture Science (PhD) from Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany graduating in April 2010.