The Board of Fruit South Africa recently appointed Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh as Director. Dr Obokoh, who holds a doctoral degree in Plant Molecular Biology from Cambridge University (amongst other academic achievements), joins Fruit South Africa at a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty in the country. But these challenges present an opportunity for the entire Board to collaborate, innovate and calibrate, as they continue to lead the industry.
Dr Obokoh’s main focus areas at Fruit South Africa will include providing support on external relations, projects and strategy. She (photo right used by courtesy of the National Research Foundation) is currently a Divisional Manager: Innovation Support & Protection (Intellectual Property Rights) at the Companies & Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). She also chairs the Board of the National Research Foundation and serves as a Commissioner on the Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution. Amongst Dr Obokoh’s previous roles are Chief Executive Officer, AfricaBio; and leadership roles at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Agricultural Research Council.
Fruit South Africa Chairperson Justin Chadwick and the rest of the Board extend these words of welcome to Dr Obokoh: “As a Board we are privileged to have a new Director with such vast experience and in depth knowledge in so many fields – Dr Obokoh has already shown vision and leadership abilities that will assist the South African fruit industries as they strive for inclusive growth”.
Says Dr Obokoh, “I am thrilled to be joining the FSA Board of Directors to contribute to the success and growth of this dynamic organisation, as it seeks to expand its service offerings, global influence and gain market access in key regions. The COVID-19-induced economic crisis presents an opportunity for the fruit industry to leverage on foreign exchange gains, thus strengthening its value proposition as an important and strategic partner to South Africa’s economic recovery efforts.”
Fruit South Africa is a non-profit company and the umbrella body representing the Citrus Growers' Association of Southern Africa, the South African Table Grape Industry, Hortgro, the Fresh Producers’ Exporter Forum and the South African Subtropical Growers’ Association.
For more information:
Fhumulani Ratshitanga
Fruit South Africa
Tel: +27 12 007 1150