It is with great sadness, that we share that Dr. Hannington Odame, a long-time and valued member of the ISSD Africa Community has passed away. Dr. Odame has led many activities and events with ISSD Africa, and his loss is felt deeply by all of us.
On behalf of the entire ISSD Africa Community of Practice, we extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Odame’s family, friends and colleagues at CABE and beyond.
As well as in multiple initiatives, David Spielman (IFPRI), worked closely with Dr. Odame under the Enabling Seed Policies topic of ISSD Africa:
Dr. Hannington Odame, a champion of seed sector development in Kenya, passed away on June 20 at hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Hannington was the founder and executive director of Centre for African Bio-Entrepreneurship (CABE), and was a champion of agricultural innovation in Kenya and across Africa.
Hannington was a contributor of both scholarship and praxis to organizations such as CGIAR, Wageningen UR, the Institute for Development Studies, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and many others. Building on his work at CABE and a PhD in Agricultural Development from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, the Netherlands, Hannington’s work on seed sector development, agribusiness innovation, and sustainability standards were critically important to growth, development, and inclusion both locally and globally. He was an innovative thinker, a talented writer, a gifted public speaker, and a friend and colleague to many of us, and will be greatly missed.
Dr. Odame will be remembered by all of us as a warm, friendly and dedicated partner in seed sector development. He will be greatly missed by all of us in the Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa community.