She is a widely respected and recognized development professional and private entrepreneur with more than 30 years of international experience in economic development, food security & nutrition and women economic empowerment. She is an innovative strategic thinker with strong analytical skills. Her strength is in managing resources and building resilience while developing and inspiring cohesive teams. Her career in development include World Bank, IFPRI UNICEF, UNIDO, IFAD and WFP.

Ms. Gakuba’s major fields of expertise are entrepreneurial skills development, food security & nutrition, women in development and industrialization, economic transformation, rural enterprise development, export diversification and business development in post-conflict environment.

She is a multilinguist and particularly skilled at negotiations, with a proven ability to work under harsh conditions. She is very passionate about issues related to women in agribusiness and economic empowerment.