Prof. Ndiritu Simon Wagura is an Associate Professor of Development Economics at Strathmore University Business School and a Senior Research Fellow with the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative. He is the Founder and Director of the Strathmore Agri-Food Innovation Center (SAFIC), and has served in several strategic roles, including Academic Director for the Masters in Agribusiness, Governing Board of Peace Unit Program in Kenya, and advisor to the Kenya Climate Innovation Center. Prof. Wagura holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, He completed his MA (Economics) degree with the best master thesis. He also holds a Bachelor of Education (Economics and Mathematics) degree (First class honours), with additional leadership training from various universities globally, including Strathmore University Business School (Kenya), IESE Business School (Spain) and Nanyang Business School (Singapore) among others. He is a recipient of multiple distinguished awards, including the AERC prize for Best Master’s Thesis, the best gender paper for CCAFS 2011 (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) and Strathmore University’s Overall Researcher of the Year (2024). 

His broad research portfolio spans applied micro-econometrics, climate change, environmental and water resource economics, agriculture, and development economics. He has partnered with global institutions such as CIMMYT, FAO, BCG, Green Venture Africa, ILRI, ETH Zurich, Innovations for poverty Action (IPA), Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation on transformative work in AI-enabled Advisory services, Regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, livestock systems, value chain development, and One Health policy. Prof. Wagura has great interest in agribusiness and post-harvest management in the avocado value chain under the Strathmore Horticulture Accelerator Program for exports (SHAPe). In addition to his academic leadership, Prof. Wagura actively supports agribusiness innovation—coaching SMEs in livestock, poultry, and horticulture value chains, and driving advancements in post-harvest management and climate resilience to transform market systems. At AI-enabled advisory services for Kenya, he leads the team, co-creating a national initiative to ensure every Kenyan small-scale producer has on-demand access to a trusted, personalized AI assistant. A dedicated scholar, practitioner, and innovator, Prof. Wagura continues to champion evidence-driven solutions that strengthen Kenya’s and Africa’s agri-food systems. His research work has been published in reputable journals. 

Publications on google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=IvH_UjYAAAAJ 

ORCiD Profile
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8463-3758