Olive Feza M’BAHIA has been appointed as Country Representative for Solidaridad in Cote d’Ivoire. Effective October 2023, Olive will be responsible for providing strategic and programmatic leadership and oversight of Solidaridad’s operations in Cote d’Ivoire.
She will lead the country office in programme implementation, partnership development and management, stakeholder engagement and fundraising to improve supply chains, local food systems and farmers’ livelihoods.
“I am dedicated to a future where African farmers, including women, have the knowledge, tools, and resources to thrive and make agriculture sustainable. I am honored to be leading a team that is committed to making tangible contributions to address the challenges of smallholder farmers,” Olive said.
EXPERIENCED SUSTAINABILITY LEADER
Olive has a track record of impactful change with international organizations. Prior to joining Solidaridad, she worked with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) where she held various roles, culminating in her last position as Country Director for Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
With over 15 years of experience as an agronomist and a passion for agricultural development, Olive has been working on resilient production systems to enhance farmers’ productivity and livelihoods across the region.
She has vast experience working closely with both private and public sector organizations in strengthening agricultural value chains and in making agricultural inputs more accessible to producers.
Olive began her career overseeing the implementation of a quality management system at Institut National de l’Agriculture (INRA) in Tours-Nouzilly, France. She has held various management and technical positions in agricultural and food companies in Cote d’Ivoire.
Olive holds an MSc in Quality and Project Management from the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) in Tours, France and a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University Saad Dahlab in Blida, Algeria.