Board of Directors
Dr. Amit Roy, Chair
Dr. Amit Roy became a member of the SAA Board of Directors since 2016 and served as the Vice-Chair from November 2019 to June 2023. He became the Board Chair in July 2023. Dr. Roy played a central role in developing SAA’s strategy 2021-2025 with regenerative agriculture as its central pillar, redefining the role of SAA in agricultural development in Africa in the face of complex challenges such as climate change and soil degradation.
He is a former IFDC’s president and chief executive officer, and has more than 40 years of experience in international agricultural development in more than 100 countries.
Under his leadership, IFDC’s programs broadened to help create sustainable agricultural productivity around the world. From bringing farmers from poverty to prosperity to ensuring global food and nutrition security to environmental protection and economic growth, IFDC has helped farmers thrive.
Among other honors, Dr. Roy was instrumental in organizing the Africa Fertilizer Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, in June 2006; in 2008 he spoke before the Hunger Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives and in 2012 was appointed to the Steering Committee of the Global Nutrient Management Project of the United Nations Environment Program.
Shuichi Suzuki, President
Mr. Suzuki was appointed as President of the SAA at the end of March, 2025. He brings to SAA extensive international leadership experience in sectors that shape global development, trade, and sustainability. He gained extensive international experience in the steel pipe trade through assignments at Sumitomo Corporation’s overseas offices in Baghdad and Singapore. He later held key leadership roles in the European Steel Pipe Division of Sumitomo Corporation Europe Group in Paris and London.
In 2011, he was appointed as a Corporate Officer of Sumitomo Corporation, and in 2014, he became an Executive Officer, leading the organization as Head of the Steel Pipe Division. In 2017, he assumed the role of General Manager of the Energy Division, driving global business expansion.
After retiring from Sumitomo Corporation in 2019, he served as an Advisor and Counselor to the Mineral Resources & Chemicals Business Unit, while also assuming the role of Chairman of GYXIS CORPORATION. Throughout his career, Mr. Suzuki has contributed to advancing sustainable growth, global collaboration, and responsible resource management—priorities that resonate with SAA’s mission to transform African agriculture.
Prof. Keiichi Shirato, Director
Professor Keiichi Shirato is a Professor of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University. For almost two decades, Professor Shirato worked for Mainichi Newspapers as a correspondent based in Johannesburg and Washington DC.
His commendable experience includes his previous role as General Manager of EMEA and Russia Department of the Mitsui & Co. Global Strategic Studies Institute in Tokyo. In addition to his current position as a Professor of International Relations, Professor Shirato is also a Specially Appointed Professor at the Center for African Area Studies at Kyoto University.
His research focuses on Japan’s African Diplomacy and the role of business in Africa’s development. Among Professor Shirato’s publications is The Great Resource Continent Africa, which was awarded the Japan Congress of Journalists Award in 2010.
Dr. Oumou Camara, Director
Dr. Oumou M. Camara, currently serving as the Vice President of Programs at the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), is an accomplished agricultural economist with over 17 years of experience across over 15 African countries. Fluent in both English and French, she specializes in strategic planning, resource mobilization, and partnership development, focusing on poverty reduction, food security, and climate-smart agriculture.
Her career is highlighted by her contributions to several key international organizations, including the African Union Commission, the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Michigan State University (MSU), United Nations’ Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Washington State University (WSU), and Virginia Techs.
Dr. Kristin Davis, Director
Dr. Kristin Davis serves as a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), leading key initiatives such as the socioeconomics, capacity, and policy work package of the Nature-positive Solutions under One CGIAR. Her role in promoting gender equality and youth inclusion in One CGIAR's Eastern and Southern Africa initiative reflects her commitment to inclusive agricultural development. Dr. Davis has also provided valuable policy guidance to research teams in Asia and Africa, contributing to the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research, Capacity, & Influence (PRCI).
Her tenure at IFPRI has been marked by significant achievements, including leading a major agricultural extension project and foundational work in setting up the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) as executive secretary. These roles highlight Dr. Davis's dedication to enhancing agricultural development, policy research, and innovation.
Honorary Advisors
Yohei Sasakawa
Yohei Sasakawa has been active in a wide range of activities since his appointment to The Nippon Foundation Board of Directors in 1981, promoting public interest and welfare efforts in Japan and abroad, including ocean issues, disaster recovery, health and sanitation, education, and support for people with disability. In 1984, he joined Ryoichi Sasakawa, then-Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Dr. Norman Borlaug, and former President Jimmy Carter to help Ethiopia cope with famine. In 1986, he aided in the establishment of the Sasakawa Africa Association to drive agricultural development in Africa by improving the agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers. He is also working for a leprosy free world, as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and the Japanese Government’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by Leprosy.
Since becoming the Chairman of The Nippon Foundation in 2005, he has been active both in Japan and abroad on humanitarian missions that transcend politics, religion, ideology, race, and national borders. He was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize by the Indian government in 2018 and awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and the Order of Cultural Merit by the Government of Japan in 2019.
He was appointed Honorary Advisor of the Sasakawa Africa Association in July 2023.
Board of Councillors
Dr. Jiro Aikawa
Senior Advisor for Agriculture and Rural Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Prof. Hiroshi Ehara
Professor, Nagoya University
Takeju Ogata
President, The Nippon Foundation
Prof. Fumio Watanabe
Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture
Auditor
Akinori Sugai
Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation Parasports Support Center
SAA Publications
E-newsletter
"Walking with the Farmer"
SAA publishes a bimonthly e-newsletter reporting on SAA activities.
SAA Mail News
Sign up to receive our e-newsletter and upcoming event information via email.
SAA history book
"Walking with the Farmer: The journey of the Sasakawa Africa Assoication since 1986"
This book chronicles the history of SAA from its inception to the present.
Annual Report
Annual Report FY2023
Annual Report FY2023 is available here.
