Josephine Okot
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Josephine Okot is a
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
n
businesswoman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...
,
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
and
corporate executive Corporate titles or business titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profit corporations, cooperatives, non-profit org ...
, who is the founder,
managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
and
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Victoria Seeds Limited, an
agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...
enterprise based in Uganda that processes, packages and markets agricultural seeds to farmers in the countries of the
African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes (; ) are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. The series includes Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by area; Lake Tangan ...
.


Background and education

Okot was born in
Gulu District Gulu is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The regional headquarters are located in the city of Gulu, which is also the administrative capital of Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda. ...
, in the Northern Region of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
. She attended
Makerere University Business School Makerere University Business School (MUBS) is the school of business of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest university. MUBS provides business and management education at the certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Location ...
(MUBS) and received postgraduate executive training from
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
and from
Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective ...
, both in the U.S. Okot has considerable training and extensive experience in agribusiness. She is reported to have a
Master of International Business The Master of International Business (MIB or M.I.B.) is a master's degree designed to develop the capabilities and resources of managers in the global economy. It is for those seeking to establish or accelerate a career in international business. T ...
, from
Washington International University Washington International University is an online unaccredited institution of higher education founded in 1994 and currently incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. It describes itself as a "cyberspace university" and a "university without bor ...
.


Career

Okot founded Victoria Seeds Limited in 2004, with the primary objective of providing quality seeds to
smallholder A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...
farmers, first domestically and then regionally. Okot's company received a financial guarantee from a
USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...
-funded project, which allowed her to secure start-up funding. Victoria Seeds Limited is affiliated with 900 rural farmers, the majority of whom are women. The company markets nearly 100 varieties of seeds, through over 400 affiliated agro-dealer outlets. As of August 2011, the company annual sales exceeded US$2.5 million with about 140 employees. As of 2013, Victoria Seeds Limited maintained three seed-processing facilities (a) the original facility in Gulu, Northern Uganda established in 2004 (b) the second facility located in the city of
Masindi Masindi is a town in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. It is on the road between Kampala and the Murchison Falls National Park. It is the site of the headquarters of the Masindi District. Location Masindi is approximately ...
, in the
Western Region Western Region or West Region may refer to: Places *Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi, the Western Region *Western Region, Bahrain * Western Region, Eastern Cape, South Africa *Western Region, Ghana *Western Region (Iceland) *Western Region, Nepal *Western Reg ...
of Uganda, commissioned in 2011 and (c) the new company headquarters and newest facility located in
Kampala Industrial and Business Park The Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), also referred to as Kampala Business and Industrial Park or Kampala Industrial Park, is an industrial and business park in Uganda. The park was developed by the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) ...
, in
Namanve Namanve is an area in the Central Region of Uganda. The larger portion of Namanve lies in Kira Municipality, in Wakiso District with portions located in Mukono Municipality, in Mukono District. Location Namanve lies in Bweyogerere Ward, in so ...
,
Kira Municipality Kira Town, a municipality in the Wakiso District of the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda, is the country's second most populous city. It is administered by the Kira Town Council, an urban local government. Location Kira town coun ...
,
Wakiso District Wakiso District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira Town, Kira, the count ...
, commissioned in 2012.


Awards

In recognition of her efforts, persistence, resilience ad mentorship, Okot has received national and international awards including the Yara Prize in 2007. In 2009, she received the Oslo Business for Peace Award for promoting ethical and socially responsible business practices. In 2013 Victoria Seeds received the Uganda Responsible Investment Award for Best Seed Company 2013.


See also

*
Agriculture in Uganda Uganda's favorable soil, soil conditions and climate have contributed to the country's agriculture, agricultural success. Most areas of Uganda have usually received plenty of rain. In some years, small areas of the southeast and southwest have ave ...
*
Business for Peace Foundation Business for Peace Foundation (BfP) is a non-profit Foundation (nonprofit organization), foundation based in Oslo, Norway. Formed in 2007 by Per Leif Saxegaard, the Foundation defines its mission as being "to recognise, inspire, and accelerate busi ...


References


External links


Website of Victoria Seeds Limited

2009 Honorees at Business for Peace Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okot, Josephine 1970s births Living people Acholi people 21st-century Ugandan businesswomen 21st-century Ugandan businesspeople Harvard Business School alumni Ugandan women business executives Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni People from Gulu District People from Northern Region, Uganda Ugandan business executives Acholi women