Professor Richard Mkandawire is a renowned socio-economist and policy expert with over 30 years of leadership in agricultural transformation, rural development, and public policy across Africa. He currently serves as the Africa Director of the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) at Michigan State University and Chairperson of the Malawi National Planning Commission, where he leads strategic national development planning.

Prof. Mkandawire played a pivotal role as a Senior Advisor to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), where he was the lead architect and champion of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)—a pan-African policy framework that has shaped agricultural reform across the continent. His leadership contributed to CAADP being adopted by over 40 African governments and development agencies.

He has also served as Vice President of the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), where he spearheaded initiatives that enhanced fertilizer access for over seven million smallholder farmers in three years, strengthening agro-dealer networks and agribusiness linkages throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

In academia, Prof. Mkandawire has contributed extensively to research and policy through his leadership at the University of Malawi (Bunda College), where he helped establish the Centre for Agriculture Research and Development (CARD). He has also held key roles promoting youth development, including as Africa Regional Director for Youth Programmes at the Commonwealth Secretariat and as the founding director of the Centre for Youth Studies at the University of Venda.

Prof. Mkandawire’s contributions have earned him multiple honors, including an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a “Driver of Change” Award in 2008, and appointment as an Extra-Ordinary Professor by the University of Pretoria.

An accomplished thought leader, he has published widely on agricultural policy, food systems, land tenure, youth development, and institutional reform. Prof. Mkandawire continues to advise regional and international institutions, helping shape Africa’s development agenda through inclusive, evidence-based policy design.