Dr. Eileen Bogweh Nchanji

Eileen Bogweh Nchanji is a gender specialist working with the Alliance of Bioversity International & International Center for Tropical Agriculture (Alliance) working in the bean program Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance. Eileen leads gender research and development across 32 countries in Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa. She works within the CGIAR Research Program under the Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals working group. Eileen’s work entails engaging multidisciplinary teams within government and private sector partners to identify and strengthen women and youth entrepreneurs through capacity building and linkages with financial providers. She designs participatory programs that continually involve women and youth, reducing drudgery, and creating employment opportunities. In addition, she has put in place strategic processes to uphold a diverse and inclusive working culture. She is a feminist to the core and believes in equal opportunities and fairness for all, where women, men, and youths not only access resources but can benefit from them and be empowered to make choices for themselves and their families. Eileen holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. Before joining the Alliance, she worked with the Center for International Forestry Research and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).