Heifer International appoints Safia Boly to lead Africa programmes

AFRICA – Heifer International has appointed Safia Boly as Senior Vice President for Africa, effective immediately, as the organisation accelerates its work with smallholder farmers across the continent. 

In her new role, Boly will oversee Heifer’s programmes across 12 African countries, where the organisation worked with nearly 860,000 farming households in 2025.

Her mandate will focus on scaling sustainable agricultural models, strengthening market systems, and deepening partnerships with governments, private sector actors, and development institutions.

Boly joins Heifer from the African Agricultural Transformation Initiative (AATI) in Nairobi, where she served as Executive Director. 

At AATI, she worked closely with African governments to design and implement inclusive agricultural transformation pathways, focusing on policy reform, productivity, and investment in smallholder systems.

Her career spans more than two decades across public service and international development. 

In Mali, she served as Minister for Promotion of Investments and Minister for Reform and Transparency of Public Life. 

She has also worked with United Nations agencies, including assignments in Africa and at the UN system level, as well as with the World Bank. 

She holds an MBA from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Mali’s Ecole Nationale d’Administration. 

She is also the founder and managing director of a financial services company, SARL, and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Economics of Equitable Transition community.

Heifer International said Boly’s appointment strengthens its leadership at a critical moment for Africa’s agricultural sector, as governments and partners push for more resilient food systems and youth-led innovation.

“We are extremely pleased that Safia is joining the Heifer team as we activate our strategy to increase the scale and impact of our work with smallholder farmers,” said Surita Sandosham, President and CEO of Heifer International. 

“We will benefit immensely from her experience driving locally led and globally connected strategies alongside African farmers.”

Boly said that agriculture remains central to Africa’s economic transformation and poverty-reduction agenda.

“I am humbled to join Heifer International in its mission to alleviate poverty, one smallholder farmer at a time,” she said.

Heifer International programmes driving agricultural transformation in Africa

The appointment comes at a time when African countries are strengthening efforts to transform rural livelihoods through more inclusive and commercially viable agricultural systems.

In Kenya, Heifer is supporting the Transforming Yield Through Feed and Fodder Access in Dairy (TYFFAD) project, which focuses on improving smallholder productivity, strengthening market access for farmers, and building climate-resilient agricultural value chains. 

The initiative is designed to integrate farmers into structured markets while improving incomes through better production practices and aggregation systems.

In East Africa, the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) programme operates in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. 

The initiative works with dairy farmers to increase milk production, strengthen dairy cooperatives, and improve access to formal markets and services such as veterinary care and animal feed supply chains.

Across multiple countries, Heifer’s AYuTe NextGen programme supports young African entrepreneurs developing technology-driven solutions for smallholder farmers, including digital platforms for market access, advisory services, and supply chain efficiency.

Heifer also continues to apply its “Passing on the Gift” model in several African communities, where farmers who receive livestock pass on offspring and training to other families, helping expand income opportunities and strengthen local food systems over time.

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