Team

Madame Maimouna Coulibaly is a successful accountant and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the seed industry. After retiring from an American NGO, CLUSA-Mali, sponsored by USAID in 2003, where she worked with farmers’ organizations in Mali, Maimouna developed an interest in the seed business while her spouse pursued post-graduate studies at IOWA State University in the US. She took up a part-time job with a seed company, where she gained valuable knowledge that she later used to start Faso Kaba Seed Company in Mali.

Faso Kaba Seed Company started in 2007 with a production of only 28.5 MT of seed and a bank loan of $10,000 guaranteed for 50% by the NGO SG2000 in Mali. With Maimouna’s leadership and expertise, the company has grown to produce over 1,500 MT of seeds, including hybrid maize, sorghum, rice, cowpea, peanut, and vegetable seeds, with technical and financial support from AGRA and other donors.

Maimouna’s success in the seed industry has earned her recognition as one of the two ladies laureates of African Food Prize 2017 AGRF 2017 Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire. She has also participated in several national and international seed panels, including one in Senegal where she represented seed companies in West Africa to meet former US President Barrack Obama.

Maimouna has received support from donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA), INJARO, PACEPEP/CNPM, and USAID. She also works with national and international research institutes such as Mali’s Rural Economy Institute (IER), ICRISAT, IITA, CIMMYT, Africa Rice, CORAF, and AVRDC, specializing in agricultural research to improve smallholder farmer productivity in Mali and Africa.

Overall, Maimouna’s experience in seed and her dedication to promoting sustainable agriculture have been invaluable in growing Faso Kaba Seed Company to become the largest seed company in Mali. Her passion for the seed business has led to her success and recognition in the industry.