Josephine Okot is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

n businesswoman, entrepreneur and corporate executive, who is the founder,

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Victoria Seeds Limited, an

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...

enterprise based in Uganda that processes, packages and markets agricultural seeds to farmers in the countries of the African Great Lakes.

Background and education

Okot was born in Gulu District, in the Northern Region of

. She attended Makerere University Business School (MUBS) and received postgraduate executive training from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

and from

Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business (also known as Stanford GSB) is the graduate business school of Stanford University, a private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective business schoo ...

, both in the U.S. Okot has considerable training and extensive experience in agribusiness. She is reported to have a

Master of International Business The Master of International Business (MIB or M.I.B.) is a master's degree designed to develop the capabilities and resources of managers in the global economy. It is for those seeking to establish or accelerate a career in international business. T ...

, from

Washington International University Washington International University is an online unaccredited institution of higher education founded in 1994 and currently incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. It describes itself as a "cyberspace university" and a "university without borde ...

Career

Okot founded Victoria Seeds Limited in 2004, with the primary objective of providing quality seeds to smallholder farmers, first domestically and then regionally. Okot's company received a financial guarantee from a

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

-funded project, which allowed her to secure start-up funding. Victoria Seeds Limited is affiliated with 900 rural farmers, the majority of whom are women. The company markets nearly 100 varieties of seeds, through over 400 affiliated agro-dealer outlets. As of August 2011, the company annual sales exceeded US$2.5 million with about 140 employees. As of 2013, Victoria Seeds Limited maintained three seed-processing facilities (a) the original facility in Gulu, Northern Uganda established in 2004 (b) the second facility located in the city of Masindi, in the Western Region of Uganda, commissioned in 2011 and (c) the new company headquarters and newest facility located in

Kampala Industrial and Business Park The Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), also referred to as Kampala Business and Industrial Park or Kampala Industrial Park, is an industrial and business park in Uganda. The park was developed by the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) a ...

, in

Namanve Namanve is an area in the Central Region of Uganda. The larger portion of Namanve lies in Kira Municipality, in Wakiso District with portions located in Mukono Municipality, in Mukono District. Location Namanve lies in Bweyogerere Ward, in s ...

, Kira Municipality,

Wakiso District Wakiso District is a district in the Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira, the country's second largest city and suburb of Kampala, is in ...

, commissioned in 2012.

Awards

In recognition of her efforts, persistence, resilience ad mentorship, Okot has received national and international awards including the

Yara Prize The Africa Food Prize, originally the Yara Prize, is an annual award for contributions to African agriculture. Yara Prize Yara International, a Norwegian chemical company and a large producer of fertilizer, established the Yara Prize for a Green ...

in 2007. In 2009, she received the Oslo Business for Peace Award for promoting ethical and socially responsible business practices. In 2013 Victoria Seeds received the Uganda Responsible Investment Award for Best Seed Company 2013.

References

External links

Website of Victoria Seeds Limited

2009 Honorees at Business for Peace Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okot, Josephine 1970s births Living people Acholi people 21st-century Ugandan businesswomen 21st-century Ugandan businesspeople Harvard Business School alumni Ugandan women business executives Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni People from Gulu District People from Northern Region, Uganda Ugandan business executives

Background and education

Career

Awards

See also

References

External links