Board of Directors

Mezuo has more than two decades of experience across private equity, investment banking, and corporate finance. He launched Sahel Capital’s debut fund, the Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN), in 2014, and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) in 2021. He provides oversight on the deployment of investment capital and the firm’s portfolio.

Mezuo serves on the boards of several of Sahel Capital’s portfolio companies. He is also on the board of the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (“AVCA”), Nigeria National Advisory Board for Impact Investing (“NABII”), and is one of the founding members and a director of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Nigeria (“PEVCA”).

Mezuo was one of three partners that set up AFIG’s debut US$72 million generalist fund in 2008, working out of the Dakar office in Senegal. Mezuo started his career with the corporate finance team of the Sabre Group in Dallas in 1995, worked in J.P. Morgan & Co’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group in New York, and then subsequently in a range of finance roles with SecTrust (now Afrinvest), Ocean & Oil Holdings, and MTS First Wireless. Mezuo co-founded AACE Foods (a food processing company) and Sahel Consulting (an agriculture focused management consulting firm) in 2010, and subsequently Sahel Capital in 2013. He remains a non-executive director in both AACE Foods and Sahel Consulting.

Mezuo is an Eisenhower Fellow and an Archbishop Tutu Fellow. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Sc. Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Mezuo received the 2021 Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the school.

Carla Denizard currently serves as the World Vision International Regional Leader for West Africa based in Dakar, Senegal. She is an international development economist who has 25 years of experience leading and managing large complex national and regional private and multi-donor programs in West and Central Africa. Her technical expertise includes food security, value chain, and agribusiness development, organizational change and capacity development. She has been responsible for designing and implementing programs to enhance individual leadership and management skills and to strengthen institutional performance.

In her current role as World Vision International’s Regional Leader for West Africa, she oversees a multi-million dollar portfolio of development, humanitarian and emergency response programs aimed at transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children and adults in the region. As the West Africa Regional Director for the Africa Lead, Feed the Future and USAID-funded Building Capacity for Agricultural Transformation Project, she led and managed capacity development programs in six Feed the Future focus countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, DRC), targeted Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states, and had oversight over two sub-regional offices in Dakar, Senegal and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

She has been responsible for designing and implementing programs to enhance institutional effectiveness and strengthen policy processes for policy change and reforms to increase agricultural productivity and food security. She has led organizational capacity assessments and designed integrated capacity development programs implementing technical assistance packages and short-term customized courses for private companies, and government ministries of agriculture and trade and regional institutions like ECOWAS, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel. In Senegal, she organized under the Trade Africa Initiative, a regional Mango week.

In Nigeria she supported the establishment and launch of the Nigeria Agribusiness Resource center in Abuja to promote agribusiness investment and trade. She integrated female and youth empowerment programs in the Africa Lead program portfolio that includes the Champions for Change leadership and Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship Boot camp courses for women and university students as well as a Young Professional internship program promoting workforce development in Nigeria.

Ms. Denizard also served as DAI’s Senior Development and Food Security Specialist, responsible for growing the firm’s agriculture and food security project portfolio in Africa and strengthening local staff and government human capacity to manage and implement agriculture and food security programs.

Previously, Ms. Denizard served as Country Representative and Regional Director for Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OICI) in Ghana, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire, where she managed a team of more than 300 local staff, a $7 million program budget, and a multi-sector portfolio of food security and humanitarian assistance programs funded by multiple clients, including USAID/Food for Peace, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United Nations World Food Programme, and private firms like the Dangote Group, Newmont Gold, Goldfields and Asanti Gold.

Ms. Denizard holds a Master’s degree in International Agriculture and Development from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s degree in Development Economics and African studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is multilingual in English, French and Haitian Creole.

Shachi is a senior manager with experience in both the corporate and philanthropy sectors. He has strong roots in emerging markets, expertise in developing strategies, hands-on implementation, and in driving successful, inclusive, business models. Shachi grew up in a community of smallholder farmers and has two decades of R&D and General Management experience in four continents spanning the chemical industry, Oil & Gas, and agriculture.

A 2021 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardee (the highest honour conferred to an overseas Indian by the President of India), Shachi has received multiple recognition for his work over the years including ‘Young Person of the UK Chemical Industries Association 2003’, a reception with HRH Queen Elizabeth II and (L) HRH Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace in 2006, WEF Davos 2014, and the G20 Africa Partnership Conference 2017.

Shachi is the Director of AgriMayum GmbH and also the founder of the MaolKeki Foundation which is catalysing development in Manipur through last-mile ag training, health assessments and nurturing Agri Entrepreneurs. He also advises LadyAgri (Brussels), sits on the Alumni Advisory Board of St. Stephen’s College (Delhi), and is a member of the Expert Review Committee, Food & Agriculture Benchmark of the World Benchmarking Alliance (Amsterdam). Shachi was also part of the 2021 cohort of the Philanthropic Leadership Platform: India-Europe.

Bonnie has more than twenty years’ experience working in agricultural research and development within the institutes that make up the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) under the World Bank. Bonnie joined GAIN from HarvestPlus, where for twelve years she headed up their office on Development and Communications.

Bonnie was also a founding leader of HarvestPlus.

Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Cornell University and Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Public Administration from the University of Virginia.

Daniel Alberts has 20 years’ experience in project, program, and production management in international development and commercial agriculture. Daniel began his career in horticulture, where for 12 years he managed crop production on commercial farms in the United States, South America and Africa.

Since 2012, Daniel has worked in international development—in Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda—to ensure the robustness, replicability, quality and timeliness of development projects and programs. His work has spanned various programmatic areas, including agriculture, nutrition, large-scale food fortification, innovation, small and medium size enterprise (SME) development.

Before joining ILRI as Head of Program Management, Daniel served as Cluster Lead, Supply Chains for Nutritious Foods at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

Daniel holds a BSc in Plant Science from Cornell University, and an MBA from TIAS School for Business and Society, Tilburg, the Netherlands. He has worked in the United States, Colombia, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Mozambique, and has managed projects in Tanzania and Rwanda. He speaks English, Spanish, and Dutch, and converses in Portuguese and Swahili. He has lived worked in South America and Africa for over 15 years.

Jolene Dawson is a catalyst for change, a skilled strategist, and an advisory professional focused on the agriculture, food, and nutrition sectors.

A trusted advisor to boards and executive leadership, she believes that simple concepts, executed flawlessly and embedded with flexibility, will allow organizations to improve productivity perpetually and create long-term value in ever-changing conditions.

Bringing almost two decades of experience from the retail, agriculture, science, development, and other sectors together; Jolene offers a unique perspective that enables innovative approaches through partnerships, strategies, and operating models that shift entrenched ways of working and drive positive societal and business impact.

With over twenty-five years of work experience spanning the private, public, and development sectors, Oge Funlola Modie is a pioneering figure, seasoned expert, accomplished professional and author. Her focus areas have been diverse, including finance, opinion research, public policy, and administration.

Over the last two decades, Oge has held top executive roles, culminating in her most recent position as the Senior Special Assistant to the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Strategic Communications. In this pioneering senior advisory role, she spearheaded the design, development, and execution of impactful public policies.

Before that role, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Cabinet Minister of State for Petroleum Resources for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) while also functioning as the first-ever Chief of Staff to the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Between 2008 and 2011, Oge led efforts to establish a $50 million SME West African Private Equity Fund for Women based in Nigeria. As the Fund Director for West Africa, she oversaw all business development activities and provided capital support to women-owned businesses across West Africa.
In 2012 she achieved a milestone by becoming the female leader of NOIPolls Limited, a prominent and respected organization in Nigeria specializing in independent opinion polling and research.

Oge is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria (FIBN) and a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria (FICA). She holds an MBA from the Cranfield University School of Management and a B.Sc. with Honors in Economics from the University of Nigeria N sukka (UNN). Oge received an Honorary Doctorate in Political Research Development and National Growth in 2019. She also holds a level 2 APMP UK project management certification.

Oge sits on several boards, including FirstBorn Foundation (an education Fund), Cedar Seed Foundation (supporting persons living with disabilities), Wellspring of Life International, and Heels of Influence Initiative. She has previously served on the KSF Microfinance Bank and NOI Polls Limited boards and contributed as a Steering Committee Member for Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference and Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialization Programme.

Oge has received several prestigious awards, including the African Business Leadership Excellence Award (2015) for outstanding business leadership. She was honoured with the Distinguished Personality Platinum Award (2019) for her humanitarian services and recognized as the Credit Management Director of the Year (2015) by the Nigerian Credit Industry Awards. Oge has also been acknowledged for contributing to Nigeria’s growth and development, receiving the Ambassador of Peace Award (2018) and the CSR-in-Action Advocacy Award (2018).

Patrick is a seasoned Business Leader with more than 20 years of experience in food and beverage in FMCG blue chip companies. Currently based in Ivory Coast, Patrick is serving as Home Care Division Director for Unilever West Africa, covering Nigeria, Ghana and Francophone Africa. As such, he is responsible for managing revenues, developing portfolio and brands for one of Unilever’s biggest business categories.
Before joining Unilever, Patrick worked as Key Account and Business Development Director with Tetra Pak West Africa, the leading carton packaging provider, based in Lagos. During his time at Tetra Pak, he supported product development and manufacturing capability for successful local dairy and beverage businesses like Chi in Nigeria and Kirène in Senegal, as well as for established multinationals such as Danone or Coca-Cola. He also supported regional entrepreneurs setting up greenfield manufacturing projects. Prior to that, Patrick had held various regional and local commercial and marketing roles in leading CPG companies like Philip Morris or Diageo, in France, UK, Switzerland and West Africa.
Patrick holds a Master’s in Management from ESCP Europe. Working with top players in their respective industries, he developed first-hand business skills including strategic planning, brand and sales management, consumer insight generation, route to market and product development. A supporter of upcoming African small businesses, he’s a member of the Dakar Business Angel Network (DNA) and is regularly doing advisory for local Start-ups. A Benin and French National, he has travelled extensively, developing along the way a collaborative and effective leadership style rooted in his deep understanding of both African and Western (corporate) cultures. Patrick is passionate about music and sports, trained in martial arts and in recent years took to tennis and yoga. He currently resides in Cote d’Ivoire with his family.

Binta is an experienced Financial Services Executive and a Management Consultant with a demonstrated practical knowledge of the financial services value chain. She has over 33 years of experience in strategic leadership, wholesale and retail banking, wealth and fiduciary management, treasury marketing, and asset management and is the Chief Executive of BMG Seven Limited, a boutique Consulting Firm.

A professional with a notable knack for starting and establishing thriving new businesses, She was the pioneer Chief Executive for Stanbic IBTC Trustees Limited where she led the team for about 8 years to establish a business that remains a market leader today. She was at various times a pioneer Head of Expert Banking, Head – Commercial Banking & Public Sector Group Nigeria in Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Pioneer Head of Wealth Management in FBN Capital Limited, and Head of Treasury Marketing in then MBC International Bank

An astute board member, she also sits on boards of social impact organizations which enables her to deliver on her interest in female development. She was an Executive Council Member of Women in Business, Management & Public Service (WIMBIZ) where she chaired the Membership & Programs Committee for two consecutive terms, was the Chairperson of Stanbic IBTC Blue Women Network, Vice President of The Association of Corporate Trustees Nigeria, was voted in 2018 as one of Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women and in 2023 as one of Nigeria’s 50 Most Inspiring Women – 2023 by Business Day –Women’s Hub. She has also received various awards and recognitions from different organizations and bodies. She was until 2022 an Independent Director on the Board of Access Pension Fund Custodian (a member of the Access Bank Group) where she was the Chairman of the Board Risk Management & Compliance Committee and a member of the Board Audit Committee; and until 31st December 2023 was on the Board of ChamsMobile (Chams PLC). She currently sits on the Boards of E-Tranzact Nigeria Plc, Nestle CPFA, The Goldcrest Family Centre – an NGO, is a member of the International Board of The Institute of Business Transformation Africa (IBT Africa), and is the newly appointed Independent Chairperson of the Investment Committees – Mutual Funds of the Coronation Asset Management Ltd.

A member of The Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), she is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) a WIMBOARD Fellow, an HCIB of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (CIBN), and a Fellow of the Association of Investment Advisers & Portfolio Managers (IAPM)

Binta has attended various Ivy League Business schools for Executive & Leadership education which include Harvard, INSEAD, Wharton, Kellogg Business School and the Yale School of Management. She is an advanced MANDEV Certified Management Trainer who has had the privilege to train for amongst others, the EU, UN Women and the Spotlight Initiative, WIMBIZ, NNPC and is a frequent conference speaker on the topics of Financial literacy & inclusion, Faith and Women empowerment.

Temitope is the Managing Partner at Sahel Consulting where he is responsible for client engagement, project management and implementation. He is passionate about the agribusiness sector and has worked extensively across a broad range of value chains, with specific expertise on roots and tubers. He is proficient in market analysis, business strategy development, business sustainability, and project management.

Temitope has led several studies on agricultural policies and market entry strategies and implemented consulting projects in a range of priority areas including innovations in seed systems, mechanization, on-farm productivity enhancement and improved market access for agribusiness stakeholders.

Temitope holds an MBA from Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University, Nigeria. He also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Agronomy from the University of Ibadan and received his undergraduate degree in Plant Science from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.

Chinedu is a finance and business management expert with over 10 years’ experience in investment banking, business advisory, project financing, and relationship management. He currently serves as a manager at Sahel Consulting where he leads the development and implementation of agriculture projects focused on seed systems, catalyzing inclusive growth, and professionalizing farmer associations and innovative agri-businesses start-ups.

Before joining Sahel, Chinedu worked with agri-businesses and other corporate entities in raising finance from public and private capital markets. He has worked as a relationship manager for a top financial institution where he initiated and participated in successful negotiations with management, union leaders, and diverse stakeholders of private and public organizations. Chinedu has consulted for a family-owned business in Madrid and led sales campaigns that required engaging with multi-stakeholders with different cultural, language, and ethnic backgrounds.

Chinedu holds a Post Graduate degree in Business Management, a Masters’ degree in Advanced Finance from IE Business School, Madrid, and is a Charterholder with Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute in Virginia, USA.