Martin Salanda — Business Development Executive

I am a passionate Business Advisor, Agribusiness Development Specialist, and SDGs Advocate with over four years of experience empowering youth, startups, and SMEs across Zambia. My work focuses on strengthening market systems, driving climate-smart growth, and building sustainable enterprises that create jobs and transform local economies. Since 2020, I have worked with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA – Zambia), where I have trained and mentored more than 137 youth in agribusiness development, business planning, marketing, and enterprise upscaling. This initiative spans Lusaka, Southern, Central, and Western Provinces, helping young entrepreneurs transition from ideas to resilient agribusinesses with enhanced access to finance and markets. In 2021, I collaborated with Jacaranda Hub, a leading social enterprise and ecosystem developer, to provide mentorship and support to Zambia’s aspiring entrepreneurs. Through the UNIDO-backed youth entrepreneurship program, I guided MSMEs from selection to pitching, equipping them with tools to thrive in a competitive startup ecosystem. Currently, I serve as a Business Advisor under the USAID EDGE Project, a transformative initiative scaling 450 agro-SMEs across Zambia. I provide tailored technical support in finance readiness, market linkages, and business management, helping SMEs increase revenues by 40%, boost profits by 30%, and contribute to over 2,500 full-time jobs across Lusaka, Central, and Eastern Provinces. My impact has been recognized with several honors: 🌍 Africa Changemaker Award 2018 – for youth and community transformation. 🏆 African Agroecology Award 2021 – by Craving 4 Development Africa. 🇨🇾2022 Savvy Fellow. Savvy Fellowship Program for Aspiring and Early-Stage Entrepreneurs ✨ 2023 UNLEASH Alumni-Rwanda, UNLEASH Innovation lab global SDG talent program. Beyond business advisory, I am deeply committed to development programs, food systems transformation, and climate resilience. As an SDGs expert and climate enthusiast, I champion agroecology, sustainable farming, and inclusive value chains as pathways to food security and environmental sustainability. I believe that agriculture is more than farming—it is business, climate action, and a driver of Africa’s future. With the right support, Zambia’s youth and SMEs can unlock opportunities, scale sustainably, and contribute to Africa’s inclusive development. 📩 Let’s connect if you’re passionate about agribusiness development, SME growth, youth empowerment, building climate-smart food systems, SDGs and Development.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a skilled agribusiness and development expert focused on sustainable practices and youth empowerment.

Location: Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Experience: 5 yrs 9 mos

Skills

Sustainable Agriculture
Community Development
Business Advisory
Market Linkages
Sustainable Development
Agriculture Extension
Climate Change Adaptation

Career Highlights

Trained over 137 youth in agribusiness development.
Increased SME revenues by 40% through tailored support.
Recognized with multiple awards for community transformation.

Work Experience

USAID-EDGE

Business Advisor (3 yrs)

Freelance

SDGs and Sustainability consultant (5 yrs 9 mos)

Ministry of Agriculture

Agriculture Specialist (6 yrs)

Education

Bachelor's degree at University of Zambia

Bachelor of Agriculture Science-General at Chalimbana University

Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture at COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY

Martin Salanda

Business Development Executive

Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates5 yrs 9 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Trained over 137 youth in agribusiness development.
Increased SME revenues by 40% through tailored support.
Recognized with multiple awards for community transformation.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a skilled agribusiness and development expert focused on sustainable practices and youth empowerment.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Sustainable AgricultureCommunity DevelopmentBusiness AdvisoryMarket LinkagesSustainable DevelopmentAgriculture ExtensionClimate Change Adaptation

Other Skills

Food SecurityInternational Sustainable DevelopmentTeam ManagementProgram DevelopmentBusiness ManagementMarket AccessClimate Risk ManagementPersuasive PresentationsNon-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)International NGOsInternational Project ManagementMonitoring & EvaluationSustainable Food SystemsAdvertisingAccount Management

About

Experience

5 yrs 9 mos

Total Experience

5 yrs 9 mos

Average Tenure

5 yrs 9 mos

Current Experience

Usaid-edge

Business Advisor

Apr 2021 – Apr 2024 · 3 yrs · Zambia · On-site

worked as Business Advisor for USAID funded project and my responsivities were as highlighted below;
1. Provided consultancy support as a Business Advisor, involved in various activities to enhance the growth and sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
2. Conducted baseline surveys and onboarding training sessions for selected SMEs.
3. Strengthened the business management skills of agribusiness groups through mentorship and modular training.
4. Collaborated with SMEs to create action plans with specific milestones, improving access to input supply and networks, and enhancing linkages to offtake markets.
5. Facilitated cost reduction and increased efficiency by strengthening managerial capacity.
6. Promoted value chain coordination through initiatives like contract agreements and joint sales.
7. Focus on increasing sales, identifying business opportunities, and expanding market access.
8. Generated monthly Business Advisory Reports, fostering collaboration with stakeholders for cross-sector integration and effective interventions.
9. Emphasized youth and women inclusion through decision-making, management, and business leadership.
10. Supported the development of an Activity Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation Plan (AMELP) aligned with project goals.
11. Integrated climate risk management in all activities to address challenges arising from changing climatic conditions and explore opportunities for additional development objectives.
The approach aimed to achieve robust, evidence-based results while promoting climate resilience and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Team ManagementProgram DevelopmentBusiness AdvisoryMarket Linkages

Freelance

SDGs and Sustainability consultant

Jul 2020 – Present · 5 yrs 9 mos · Zambia

Agriculture and agribusiness play an important role in the Zambian economic development, contributing around 20% of gross domestic product (GDP) in recent years and about 12% of national export earnings. Agriculture employs nearly 70% of the labor force and remains the main source of income and employment for most of the people living in rural areas.This is the reason, Martin Salanda supports Farmers, SMEs, Youth and women to go into agriculture production at every household through production of Value cash crops as Chili, Herbs like Ginger and small livestock such as indegenious and exotic chickens. He supports farming community by creating an enabling environment necesary for an SME to improve production through acquiring new knowledge, technologies and tools necessary to improve productivity and effeciency.
Sustainable solutions to the food crisis already exist, but they need more support. According to a report by the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group), ‘Who Will Feed Us?’, small-scale producers provide food to 70% of the world, while using only 25% of the resources. This is the Space Salanda is working in through enterprising at Nutrigreen.
Instead of fuelling the food crisis by serving the interests of agribusiness corporations, governments and public development banks should support projects based on the agroecology model which encourages diversity – of crops, people, farming methods, and knowledges – to allow for locally-adapted food systems that are responsive to environmental conditions and community needs”. This includes practices such as permaculture, agroforestry, organic farming and biodynamic farming and sustainable agriculture. Approaching it with a business mind, the models need to have 3 core areas: Sustainability+Profitability+Growth!

Food SecurityInternational Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable AgricultureCommunity Development