As a Partner at Agripreneurship Academy, a partner of Avila University (HLC-accredited, Kansas City), and Founder of IFAL – the Institute of Food and Agribusiness Leadership, I work at the intersection of agribusiness education, industry development, workforce readiness, and innovation. Together with our partners, I have co-developed industry-aligned learning and professional certificate programmes across Food, Agribusiness, Retail, and Sustainability, designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the practical competencies demanded by industry.

The need for this approach is clear. The USDA and Purdue University's 2025–2030 Employment Outlook projects 104,766 annual job openings for college graduates across food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and associated fields. Yet, only 18% of employers report that new graduates are commercially ready from day one, highlighting a significant skills and employability gap. Addressing this challenge is central to our work at Agripreneurship Academy.

One of our key initiatives is the Foundation Certificate in Agribusiness Value Chains – an industry-oriented learning programme designed to equip learners with the commercial understanding, practical competencies, and value-chain perspective needed to participate and succeed in modern agribusiness. It forms the first stage of a three-level, stackable professional learning pathway, progressing from Agribusiness Commercial Literacy to Sustainable Food Supply Chains and ultimately Food and Agribusiness Leadership. The certificates are co-issued by Avila University and IFAL.

Beyond professional certification, I have also co-founded Agribusiness Coach (agribusinesscoach.ai), a domain-specific AI coaching platform developed exclusively for food and agribusiness entrepreneurs and professionals. Built on IFAL's 15 years of curriculum development and a library of more than 300 business models, the platform combines specialised industry knowledge with AI-powered coaching to help users navigate business development, commercial decision-making, and professional growth.

My work in this space is informed by more than a decade of experience in agribusiness supply-chain research and practice across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This experience continues to shape my commitment to developing practical, market-responsive learning solutions that connect people, businesses, institutions, and opportunities across food and agricultural value chains.

I welcome conversations with community colleges and universities offering agribusiness programmes, food and agribusiness employers seeking to strengthen workforce capabilities, and NGOs and development organisations investing in agribusiness capacity building. Let's explore opportunities to collaborate, develop industry-ready talent, and build more competitive, resilient, and sustainable agribusiness value chains.