John Mukuka is 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 Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation (B&MGF) for the period 2023-2028. Other ACTESA Staple Food Programmes, 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 was instrumental 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 moved forward the COMESA Seed Industry from 250,000MT in 2010 to over 500,000MT in 2023 of certified seed.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Crop Science in 1996 from the University of Zambia, a Master of Science Degree in Nematology from the University of Gent, Belgium in 2003 and a Doctor of Agriculture Science (PhD) from Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany graduated in April 2010.
Biography
Dr. John Mukuka is 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