2013 Tutu Fellow Nuradin Osman has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager for Africa at AGCO, the third-largest global manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment. His promotion is part of a restructuring at the company to realign its regional structure with its on-the-ground presence in Africa as well as to further expand the company's operations on the continent.

Osman's steady rise in the ranks belies his difficult beginning.  A Somali, Osman's family lost everything twice due to famine and civil war, prompting him to walk across his country and through Ethiopia and Kenya before arriving in Holland in 1992 aged 17. See video below.

These childhood experiences have driven him to seek solutions for agriculture in Africa to improve farmers' capabilities and their productivity as a measure against the impact of weather on communities. To support the realignment and further boost service to customers and distributors, AGCO will open a new regional headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, in early 2017 and a new Future Farm in French-speaking West Africa. These initiatives will complement AGCO’s existing parts distribution operation and training center in South Africa and Future Farm in Zambia.  He has been called a thought-leader in agriculture and has raised the profile of key issues such as the significance of mechanization, protein production and post-harvest storage solutions in strengthening the African agricultural sector.  A media statement on AGCO's plans and the changes is at Businesswire.