Speaker
Prof Lindiwe Majele Sibanda
Tuesday 11 November, 2025
Lindiwe Majele Sibanda is a renowned leader in agriculture, science, and policy, driving transformative change in African agriculture. Lindiwe serves as co-Chair of the Food Planet Prize (Sweden) a Non-Executive Member of the Nestlé Board (Switzerland), a member of the Foundation Board of GESDA Foundation (Switzerland), Chair of Council for the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe, and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, in South Africa. She is currently a resident Richard von Weizsäcker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin.
As a dedicated advocate for sustainability, Lindiwe works as a SDG 12.3 Champion and SDG Goalkeeper, promoting integrated agricultural research, education, and climate-smart practices. She advises African governments and global institutions on policy and practice. Her work catalyzes engagements between academia, policy, and the private sector, making a significant impact on agriculture and sustainability in Africa and globally. Lindiwe’s expertise brings a unique perspective to addressing global challenges, with a focus on gender equality, youth and women’s empowerment.
With a distinguished career spanning various leadership roles, Lindiwe has received several awards for her contributions, including the 2024 Swaminathan Global Leadership Award. Her experience includes leading the African Research Universities and promoting Sustainable Food Systems on prominent private and public boards.
She holds a PhD and Masters Degrees in Agriculture Sciences from the University of Reading, U.K. and a BSc. degree in Animal production from the University of Alexandria in Egypt.
Read about Professor Lindiwe’s keynote address on the opening day of the conference 11 November.
The keys to Africa’s climate-resilient livestock future
Plenary presentation
Equipping Africa’s Livestock Systems for Productivity, Planetary Health, and Climate Resilience: Science, Skills, and Partnerships.
Tuesday 11 November, 2025
Keynote Speaker Abstract:
Equipping Africa’s Livestock Systems for Productivity, Planetary Health, and Climate Resilience: Science, Skills, and Partnerships.
Africa’s livestock systems sit at the nexus of food security, climate change, livelihoods, and public health. Rising demand for animal-source foods in low- and middle-income countries presents both an opportunity and a risk: the potential for nutritional improvement and economic growth, but also the threat of escalating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic disease emergence.
This keynote builds on the 2024 Professor Gordon McClymont Lecture, which called for reimagining resilient livestock food systems “from farm to fork.” Drawing on new research published in 2025 on Agricultural GHG Research and Collaboration in Southern Africa, Sibanda highlights both the scientific strengths, notably in livestock emissions research, and the systemic weaknesses: fragmented networks, underinvestment in infrastructure, minimal integration of crops and soils research, and weak policy-science-farmer linkages.
To address these gaps, she proposes a three-pillar transformation agenda:
- Science and Technology — A coordinated African Livestock Research Coalition focused on low-emission, climate-resilient, productivity-enhancing systems, informed by anticipatory foresight as promoted by GESDA.
- Collaboration and Partnerships — Transdisciplinary, cross-border, multi-actor platforms linking researchers, policymakers, industry, and farmers, modelled on initiatives like the Qinisa programme.
- Skills — Short certification courses across all livestock value chains, jointly delivered by academic institutions, farmer organisations, and agritech companies, to equip both farmers and young service personnel with practical, future-ready competencies.
By integrating cutting-edge science with practical skills development regional and international cooperation, Africa can create livestock systems that are productive, equitable, and climate-smart, ensuring both biohappiness and planetary health for generations to come.
