Namuwoza to champion improvements in agricultural sustainability

The newly elected president of the African Organic Network (AfrONet) has pledged to prioritise advocating for organic agriculture in all African states where the network is present to save the local farmers whom he said are suffering more.

Speaking to reporters this week at his office in Kampala, Mr Chariton Namuwoza, who also doubles as the CEO of the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), said agricultural exports can increase farmers’ income if cheap practices are promoted.

“The major problem with us for example in Uganda is the cost of agriculture,  for example, organically made pesticides here are cheap and can increase our income (exports inclusive) by 40 percent but it is still ignored and we prioritise imported chemicals which are not only expensive but affect the soil as well,” he said.

Namuwoza, who trounced Nigeria’s Dr Jude Obi to win the AfrONet’s top job at the recently concluded African Organic Conference (AOC) and General Assembly, said he will use his office to cause a serious nchange.

“I will use my term of office to push for increased organic production and productivity, scaling up organic certification through the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and Internal Control System (ICS), expanding Africa’s global organic market share and ensuring capacity building of the National Organic Movements, among other tasks,” he said.

The AOC was held between December 12 and 15 in Kigali, Rwanda, attracting over 300 delegates from 30 African countries that are promoting organic agriculture.

“At the country level, I will advocate for the enactment of the National Organic Agriculture Bill specifically to strengthen our policy and regulatory framework towards agroecology and it is through this Act that we shall go for all masqueraders disturbing us,” he said.

He also hinted on promoting training surrounding organic agriculture to move away from conventional agriculture which has for a long time failed to work.

During his three-year term, Namuwoza will be deputized by Mr. Chitalu Munshibwe, the CEO of Organic Producers and Processors of Zambia.

Others on the Board are; Jude Obi – General Secretary (Nigeria), Ms. Josephine Atangana – Treasurer (Cameroon), Ms. Esther Betts – Member (Kenya), Dr. Juma Mwatima – Member (Tanzania), Dr. Simplice Davo Vodouhe – Member (Benin), Mr. Idhmida Mohammed – Member (Morocco), Dr. Khaoula Mokrani – Member (Tunisia), Mr. Jean Marie Irakabaho – Member (Rwanda), and Mr. Clemence Noah – Member (Central Africa).

“We want to advocate for increased markets for organic products as well as rally other countries to join the network with an aim of promoting the cheap yet profitable organic agriculture,” he said.

The AOC conference is held every 3 years. He said that the fourth one was held in November 2018 at Sally, Senegal. The third AOC was held in Lagos, Nigeria in October 2015, the second in Lusaka, Zambia in May 2012 while the first AOC was held in Kampala, Uganda in 2009.

This particular conference was attended by over 300 delegates from 30 African countries with an aim of advocating for organic agriculture which Namuwoza says has been left behind.

Namuwoza said he will use his office as AfrONet President to push for inter-regional organic trade as one of the ways of curbing challenges that have been affecting organic farmers including the lack of market.

”It was a hot battle to get elected as president, surely, it’s a big opportunity for me to serve in this mega office which am going to use with my fellow board members to serve our African people, especially farmers and other organic stakeholders,” he said.

About Namuwoza
Namuwoza is an Agribusiness and International Marketing Executive, Consultant and experienced Board Member with 20 years’ experience.

Chariton holds an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management (MsM/ESAMI, 2015) and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture (Agricultural Economics) from Makerere University (2003).

He is the CEO of NOGAMU a position he has held since 2020, and as well the Chairperson, the Board of Directors for Emmanuel International (Uganda, since 2018).

In 2021, Namuwoza was nominated by the French Embassy in Kampala to the Advisory Board of Stanbic Business Incubator’s Project: Network for Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture and Tourism (NISAT), which was funded by the embassy, to support youth and women entrepreneurs in agroecology and eco-tourism in Uganda (2021-2022).

In October 2006, he was hired by NOGAMU as the International Marketing Officer, serving up to July 2014, before being promoted to Chief of Value Chains and Programs.

In December 2015, he resigned from NOGAMU and focused on building Bio Nile, an agribusiness, marketing and consulting firm, which he had founded earlier in 2014. 

Status 
Uganda is a prominent producer and exporter of organic products, catering to markets such as the EU, US, Japan, and other global destinations. The organic agriculture sector contributes approximately 17.1 per cent to the total value of agricultural exports, which currently amounts to $291.2m annually, according to the National Budget Framework Paper FY 2017/18.

In 2016, the country achieved export sales of $56.9m from organic produce, followed by $50m in 2018. Uganda holds a leading position in Africa, boasting 210,352 organic farmers and ranking third on the continent, behind Tunisia and Tanzania.