Our team
There are two small groups behind the TAAT Technology e-catalogs: the Technology Profiling team and the AKM Services team. Both teams collaborate very closely to bring to you the best experience, whether you are a Technology Provider offering a technology or a Decision-maker looking for a solution to improve agriculture in Africa. Together, we created the e-catalogs and all the back office systems needed to make them work.
AKM Services are the magicians who transformed our vision into a fast and reactive web-based database, with user-centric interfaces crafted for the best experience we could provide to our users.
The on-going work of the Technology Profiling team populates the e-catalogs with detailed but relevant and clearly expressed information about the technologies we showcase. We strive to explain technologies to those who can decide to adopt them, by presenting them in the best way possible for our audiences.
Technology Profiling – TAAT Clearinghouse (IITA)
Marie Michèle Codja
I am Marie Michèle Codja, holding an MSc in Crop Science, and I serve as a Technology Profiling Consultant at TAAT Clearinghouse. Within TAAT, my role entails sourcing technologies for our database, creating user-friendly profiles, and evaluating them using the Scaling Readiness tool. With my expertise in Crop Science, I am dedicated to utilizing technology to foster agricultural innovation and sustainability throughout Africa. Let's work together to make a difference in African agriculture!
Beata Adonon
I am Beata Adonon, a Technology Dissemination consultant at the TAAT program (Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation), holding a Master’s degree in Agronomy. As a Technology Profiler, my role includes collecting, simplifying complex information, and organizing data on agricultural technologies to power the TAAT database and e-catalogs. Drawing upon my expertise in Agronomy, I am committed to leveraging technology to drive agricultural innovation and advance sustainability across Africa.
Hardi Hinvi
I am Hardi Hinvi, a Technology Profiling Consultant at TAAT Clearinghouse, holding a Master's degree in Crop Science. My responsibility is to gather, translate, and organize data on agricultural technologies to fuel the TAAT's database and e-catalogs. With a strong background in agriculture and expertise in planning and communication, I strive to create effective and accurate digital catalogs for the private, governmental, and institutional sectors. My goal is to promote the adoption of proven and validated technologies to transform agriculture in Africa.
Deborah Ndekatubane
I am Deborah Ndekatubane, a technology profiler in the dynamic TAAT e-catalog team. My role is to unravel the complexities of agricultural technologies and present them in a clear and accessible manner. With a fresh perspective and boundless enthusiasm, I'm passionate about simplifying intricate concepts, empowering my audience to make informed decisions. Beyond work, I delve into the captivating world where technology intersects with agriculture. Join me on this exciting journey as we revolutionize the agriculture landscape together!
Bruno Tran
I am Bruno Tran, Scaling Expert at the TAAT Clearinghouse. With my young colleagues from the Technology Profiling team, we designed the concept of the technology database and its e-catalogs and worked closely with the AKM Services team who transferred our ideas into a powerful and user-friendly system that you can access online.
AKM Services
Frank Sonntag
I am Frank Sonntag, an atmospheric scientist by training, with nearly 30 years of software development experience, mostly writing custom websites with complex databases and scientific business logic at the core. In the last 20 years I have built a real-time synchronised weather database for the BBC, built numerous databases and content management systems for the digital media sector and in 2012 formed AKM Services to develop systems that help to improve the lives of smallholder farmers. At AKM Services, I have planned, implemented and run a range of specialised content management systems. I am also responsible for hosting and maintaining these systems.
Lisette Slegers
I am Lisette, user experience and interface designer at AKM Services with over 20 years' experience. After having worked for many of the big names in London, I joined forces with Frank in 2017. Although I am traditionally schooled in visual and graphic design, I started working on design and user experience of digital products and services early on in my career. Being curious about the nuts and bolts of websites I have also branched out to front-end development.
Karin Kilian
I am Karin - having my academic background in geography and biology and a genuine interest in languages, sustainability and information management, I have been supporting software development in various international development projects for many years. Within AKM Services, I am a vigilant bug tracker and a conscientious software tester, as well as AKM's dedicated translator, localizer and documentation writer. I am responsible for data scraping and online research, as well as for the technical user support.
Featured technologies
Strong Against Disease, Hot on the Market. This group of long pepper varieties are high-yielding, disease-resistant pepper varieties developed by the World Vegetable Center, designed for hot, disease-prone regions like the Sudan and Northern Guinea Savannas. It offers a yield potential of up to 6.78 tons per hectare, strong resistance to major diseases, and nutritional benefits such as medium spiciness, high Vitamin C, and capsaicin. By promoting stable harvests and sustainable farming practices, PS PEP 1 enhances food security and farmer livelihoods in challenging environments.
Biochar, a powerfully circular way to fight climate change Africa faces a dual challenge: degraded soils and limited energy access. Over 40% of the continent’s soils have poor structure and low nutrient reserves, making them unable to retain water or fertilisers effectively. Most farmers can afford only 20 kg of fertiliser per hectare—well below the global average of 135 kg—and much of it is lost due to poor soil retention, driving up production costs and reducing yields. At the same time, 70% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa depends on biomass like firewood and charcoal for cooking, leading to deforestation and environmental degradation. These intertwined issues threaten national food security, energy sustainability, and climate resilience. Biochar offers a strategic, climate-smart solution that improves soil fertility, enhances fertiliser efficiency, reduces reliance on forest biomass, and captures carbon. Supporting biochar initiatives could strengthen agricultural productivity while meeting national climate and energy goals.
Low cost fertilizer for healthy and profitable agriculture for African farmers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, farmers face significant challenges such as declining soil fertility, limited access to quality fertilizers, and the high cost of agricultural inputs, all of which affect crop yields and food security. The BSFF technology presents a promising solution to these challenges. It contains high levels of essential nutrients like nitrogen (1.7–1.9%), phosphorus (1.0–2.5%), potassium, and various micronutrients that significantly improve soil fertility. This technology can help farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa increase productivity, improve food security, and promote environmentally sustainable agriculture.