One on one with Pascal Murasira, the new African Food Fellowship Executive Director

On 26 January 2025, we proudly welcomed Pascal Murasira as the new African Food Fellowship Executive Director. Pascal is an accomplished leader whose creativity and versatility make him right at home at the Fellowship. With a background mentoring startups and leading innovation hubs, he understands technology but warns that it is not a magic bullet; it needs the right people and policies to work. Pascal believes deeply in the transformative power of African food systems leaders, asserting that they are the catalyst that translate ideas, policies and investments into real change. He sat down with us for a candid interview. 

1. What excites you the most about the AFF? Tell us the aha moment that sold you on this as your next assignment. 

What excites me most about the African Food Fellowship is that it sits exactly at the intersection where Africa’s big visions and grassroots energy can finally meet in practice. Across the continent, there is no shortage of ambitious food system policies and strategies, and there is also no shortage of creativity and determination among farmers, innovators, and young people in communities. The “aha” moment for me was realising that AFF is intentionally working in the “missing middle”: that critical space where policies are interpreted, implemented and translated into real change on the ground, by supporting the leaders who can make that change happen. 

2. What does food system leadership mean to you? 

Food system leadership, to me, is the ability to see the whole—from farm to fork to planetary boundaries—and to act in ways that shift the system towards more equity, resilience and sustainability. It is less about heroic individuals and more about convening diverse actors, holding the tensions between their interests, and still moving the system forward. It is the kind of leadership that constantly asks: “Who is not in the room yet, and what will it take for them not only to be included, but to lead?” 

3. What is your leadership superpower, and how does it look like in practice? How do you nurture it? 

My leadership superpower is ecosystem building: spotting connections between people, ideas and resources that do not yet see each other, and then creating the conditions for them to collaborate. In practice, this looks like designing programmes and spaces where entrepreneurs, policymakers, financiers, farmers and researchers engage as peers and co‑creators, rather than as separate “stakeholder groups.” I nurture this by staying curious, spending time in very different communities—from tech meetups to farmer cooperatives—and by regularly asking, “Who else should be part of this conversation?” 

4. Who is a leader that you look up to, and what makes their leadership style so special? 
 

One leader I deeply admire is the late Wangari Maathai. Her leadership combined moral courage, deep community organising with women at the grassroots, and a very practical, tangible entry point—planting trees—that connected environmental restoration, livelihoods and dignity. She managed to challenge powerful institutions without losing her connection to ordinary citizens and their everyday struggles. 

5. Assume that the person you thought of above is coming to dinner. What would you cook for them? 

If Wangari Maathai were coming to dinner, I would cook a simple, seasonal East African meal that honours the landscapes and people she fought for. That might be matoke or ugali with a rich vegetable stew, leafy greens, and locally sourced beans or fish, using ingredients from smallholder farmers as much as possible. I would want the meal itself to tell a story about African food heritage, biodiversity and the power of local food cultures. 

6. What are you most looking forward to experiencing or accomplishing at the AFF in your first 100 days? 

In my first 100 days, I am most looking forward to listening and learning: understanding the journeys of our Fellows, partners and team, and seeing the Fellowship’s impact through their eyes. I hope to co‑create, with colleagues and Fellows, a clear and focused set of priorities for the next phase of AFF that builds on what is already working well. I would also love to identify a few visible “quick wins” that demonstrate our commitment to Fellows while we work on the longer‑term agenda. 

7. What are your predictions for African food systems in the next 10 years? 

Over the next decade, African food systems will be shaped heavily by rapid urbanisation, climate volatility, and a new generation of tech‑savvy, mission‑driven entrepreneurs and public leaders. If we get it right, this could translate into more nutritious, affordable food options in African cities, wider adoption of climate‑smart production models, and stronger regional trade that keeps more value on the continent. But this positive scenario will not be automatic; it will require difficult choices on land use, governance and inclusion, and it will depend on leaders who can connect decisions made in meeting rooms to realities in fields, markets and households. 

8. The agri-food systems sector in Africa holds a lot of promise but is also rife with challenges. Out of all other possible interventions, why is it important to invest in leadership, specifically, as a game-changer? 

Across Africa, there are excellent high‑level policies—like the recently launched CAADP 2025–2035 strategy—and there are dynamic actors on the ground, particularly youth and innovators, who are ready to move. The real bottleneck is in the middle: the interpretation, coordination and execution of these ambitions, where systems often stall or fragment. Investing in food systems leadership matters because it focuses on the “who” that will turn aspirations into reality: leaders who understand the system, can work across sectors and levels, and are willing to take responsibility for making change actually happen rather than remain a wish. 

9. You’ve worked with a lot of start-ups. What have you learnt about the founders or entrepreneurs that go on to succeed? 

The founders who tend to succeed are rarely the ones with the flashiest pitch deck; they are the ones who are obsessed with understanding their customers and who keep learning faster than the problems evolve. They combine resilience with a willingness to change their minds when the data or reality demands it. They also invest in teams and relationships early on, recognising that building a company is ultimately a collective endeavour, not a solo act. 

10. You are quite active in the tech space and have recently been involved in AI innovations. What’s one question about AI that you find unhelpful? 

One question that always makes me uncomfortable is, “Will AI fix African food systems?” AI is a powerful tool, but it is not magic; it will only be as transformative as the quality of the data, the incentives of the actors using it, and the policies that govern it. The more useful questions are: “Which specific problems can AI help us solve better?” and “How do we ensure that African farmers, entrepreneurs and institutions are not just users, but also shapers and owners of these technologies?” 

11. When not at work, how are you most likely to be found using your time? 

When not at work, I am most likely experimenting with some “vibe coding” projects, testing new AI tools, or supporting early‑stage founders in an informal way. I also enjoy cycling, spending quality time with family, and discovering new places and cultures. 

12. What’s one question you were really hoping we’d ask? Answer it. 

A question I was secretly hoping you’d ask is: “What does success look like for you at AFF in five years?” Success, for me, would mean that Fellows, partners and peers across the continent talk about AFF not only as a programme they attended, but as a community and mindset that changed how they lead and collaborate in food systems. It would mean seeing AFF Fellows visibly at the centre of key implementation efforts—from CAADP to national strategies to local coalitions—and knowing that when people ask, “Who will make this happen?”, our Fellows are part of the answer.