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First Liberian to Chair Africa’s Leading Food Sovereignty Network
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – October 6, 2025 – In a historic move for Liberia and the continental food sovereignty movement, Rev. Tolbert Thomas Jallah, Jr., Regional Executive Director of the Faith and Justice Network, and a Priest serving in the Lutheran Church in Liberia has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), with Continental Office based in Kampala, Uganda.
His election was confirmed at the conclusion of AFSA’s Annual General Meeting and Pan African Gathering on the Future of Bio-digital Technologies, held from October 2–5, 2025, at the Sapphire Addis Hotel, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Tolbert’s election marks the first time a Liberian and a faith-leader has assumed this prestigious continental leadership position, representing a major milestone for both his country and the faith-based movement advocating for ecological justice, food sovereignty, and indigenous knowledge systems across Africa.
In his acceptance remarks, Tolbert emphasized the critical need to uphold African-driven solutions to food systems, resist exploitative technologies, and defend the rights of smallholder farmers and local communities.
“This is not just a personal honor,” he said, “but a call to amplify the prophetic voice of Africa in resisting corporate capture and standing for food sovereignty rooted in justice, dignity, and sustainability.”
AFSA is a powerful Pan-African platform bringing together farmers, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, environmentalists, faith-based groups, fisherfolk, and civil society organizations from 50 countries committed to achieving food sovereignty and agroecology across the continent.
Tolbert, a well-known International Campaigner will serve a three-year term as Chairman of the Board, helping to steer AFSA’s strategic vision at a time when Africa faces mounting pressure from multinational corporations promoting genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic biology, and digital surveillance technologies in agriculture. The Faith and Justice Network of the Mano River Basin, under Tolbert’s leadership, has been a vocal advocate for food justice, climate resilience, and ethical policy-making rooted in African values and grassroots empowerment.
