Professional Bio: Dr. David Nyange
Dr. David Nyange is a seasoned Agricultural Economist with more than 25 years of experience driving systemic transformation in agriculture and rural development across Africa. He brings a proven track record in leveraging research, policy dialogue, and multistakeholder coordination to advance inclusive, market-oriented agricultural reforms. Currently serving as Executive Director of ASPIRES Tanzania and an Adjunct Professor of International Development at Michigan State University, Dr. Nyange leads high-impact initiatives aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking and public-private engagement in food systems.
Throughout his career, Dr. Nyange has advised governments at the highest levels and facilitated over 30 policy, fiscal, institutional, and regulatory reforms. These have directly contributed to improved agricultural productivity, investment climate, trade facilitation, and financial inclusion. His work with ministries, parliaments, and development partners has helped dismantle market barriers, rationalize taxation, and mobilize both public and private resources to transform Tanzania’s agriculture sector. His leadership on flagship strategies—including ASDP II, Agenda 10/30, and youth agribusiness frameworks—has guided national development agendas and investment portfolios.
Dr. Nyange previously served as Deputy Team Leader for the Feed the Future initiative at USAID/Tanzania, where he led the design of a $350 million program integrating value chains, nutrition, infrastructure, research, finance, and policy reform. His work has consistently bridged the worlds of policy, academia, and practice, and he remains a trusted consultant to institutions such as the World Bank, FAO, and national regulatory bodies. A frequent contributor to scholarly and policy publications, Dr. Nyange is deeply committed to knowledge dissemination and institutional capacity-building.
Professional Highlights
- Policy Reform Leadership: Spearheaded over 30 major policy, legal, fiscal, and institutional reforms in agriculture, livestock, and food systems across Tanzania.
- Donor Program Design: Led technical design of multimillion-dollar development programs, including the $350M Feed the Future initiative, a $52M crisis-response safety net, and a $42M agriculture credit guarantee scheme.
- Strategic Advisory to Government: Served as Policy Advisor to Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, advising on sector strategies, legal reviews, and regulatory frameworks.
- Development Finance & Inclusion: Designed policy and legal frameworks enabling use of movable assets for collateral, catalyzing access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses.
- Institution Building: Played a central role in establishing the Market Intelligence Unit, Private Sector Desks, and consolidated sector boards to streamline service delivery and public-private coordination.
- Academic & Capacity Building: Adjunct professor at MSU and former lecturer at Sokoine University; supervised Ph.D. and master’s research; led trainings for policy analysts across ministries.
- Collaborative Platforms: Founded and convened the Policy Analysis Group (PAG), a platform of 20+ stakeholders organizing the Annual Agricultural Policy Conference for a decade.
- Board Experience: Serves on boards of PASS Trust, TCDC, and SATF, shaping strategy for agricultural finance, cooperatives, and social impact investments.