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Boipelo Freude

Senior Manager: Gender and Inclusion

Boipelo Freude brings over 15 years of extensive experience in programme development, research, and policy advisory within the Agriculture and Food Security sector at national, subregional, and continental levels. Her career has been marked by a deep commitment to understanding and addressing gender dynamics and their impact on development outcomes. Currently serving as a Senior Agriculture Policy and M&E Gender Specialist at the African Fertilizer & Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) in Johannesburg, South Africa, Boipelo plays a crucial role in analyzing and responding to gendered constraints and opportunities within agro-inputs value chains through targeted interventions.

Boipelo’s academic journey underscores her dedication to advancing gender relations and nutritional outcomes. She holds a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship from Wits University, School of Economics and Finance, focusing on Gender Relations and Nutritional Outcomes. Her doctoral studies in Agricultural Economics at Christian-Albrechts Universitaet zu Kiel, coupled with a Master’s degree in Food Security and Natural Resource Management from Hohenheim University, and a Bachelor’s in General Agriculture from the University of Botswana, provide a robust foundation for her work.

Prior to her role at AFAP, Boipelo served as the Founding Director of Food Security Monitor SA (FSMSA) and held positions such as Assistant Programme Manager for Social Development Programmes at the Independent Development Trust, and Agriculture Sector Researcher at the Institute of Democracy in Africa (Idasa). She has also contributed her expertise as an Associate Scientific Resource Person at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and as an Agricultural Research Officer at the Botswana National Plant Genetic Resource Centre.

Boipelo’s skill set encompasses a wide range of areas including Gender Analysis and Mainstreaming, Feminist Political Economy Analysis, Program Planning and Management, Research Management, Data Collection and Analysis, Capacity Building, Donor Reporting, and Proposal Development. Her dedication to addressing gender disparities and her significant contributions to poverty reduction initiatives in Africa have been recognized through prestigious awards such as the World Bank’s Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund Award and the Canon Collins-Graca Machel Award.

With her wealth of experience and expertise, Boipelo continues to make meaningful contributions to the agricultural sector and remains committed to driving positive change in the lives of women and children across the continent.