Richard OBUKU

Coached entrepreneurs on demand for an innovation-driven business incubation organization, providing strategic guidance, market access, and capacity-building to foster sustainable business growth.

• Led business coaching for the Empower You Project, delivering tailored coaching, business strategy development, and financial management trainings to local MSMEs, specifically supporting women-led and youth entrepreneurs.
• Catalyzed 45% sales increase for Prudence Winery within two months by optimizing production processes, developing a strategic pricing model, and expanding market reach to supermarkets and events; additionally, improved cash flow through biogas production from waste.
• Directed a 6-member project team to streamline food safety and quality trainings for WFP in refugee settlements, resulting in tools adopted by 4 additional partner organizations for similar training and mentorship.
• Pioneered carbon credit strategies in agroforestry and renewable energy sectors, co-developing an AI-powered framework to quantify and verify emissions reductions and supporting two businesses in qualifying for carbon market trading, generating additional revenue.
• Designed and implemented the 'Empower You Pitch Competition,' leading a 10-member team to mentor 30 MSMEs and successfully secure grants for 10 winners across various categories.
• Conducted in-depth market research for Uganda's food processing and agribusiness sectors, analyzing market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscapes to identify emerging opportunities like organic food products and sustainable packaging solutions.

Co-founded and chaired an innovative Agri-tech company, transforming it into a technology-driven, sustainable poultry business that leverages AI-powered quality control and a digital marketplace to empower smallholder farmers.

• Led the company's strategic transformation into a technology-driven, sustainable poultry business, championing quality, environmental stewardship, and accessibility for smallholder farmers.
• Established an extensive out-grower model, partnering with over 1,000 poultry farmers and 4,000 grain suppliers, expanding market access for over 5,000 smallholder farmers and facilitating annual payments exceeding $1.2 million.
• Drove green job creation and environmental resilience by integrating carbon capture and sustainable waste management, establishing a biochar production model that transformed poultry waste into valuable veterinary products and renewable energy, unlocking new revenue streams through carbon credits.
• Innovated with carbonized rice husks to create floor litter, reducing veterinary drug usage by 20% among 1,000 chicken farmers, and developed biochar briquettes for barn heating, which were 40% more cost-effective than conventional charcoal.
• Advanced proprietary Kuevos-AI egg-scanning technology using computer vision and AI for quality control and traceability, successfully reducing egg wastage by 25%.

Managed the EU-funded 'Enhancing Green Job Opportunities for Women and Young People in Northern Uganda' (EGO) project, driving income generation, job creation, and sustainable business growth.

• Designed and implemented initiatives to introduce carbon capture and carbon credit models as sustainable revenue streams, collaborating with 20 agribusiness MSMEs on biochar production, agroforestry, and biogas systems.
• Managed a cross-functional team of 25 professionals (agronomists, environmental scientists, accountants, operations managers) to support sustainable farming practices, carbon auditing, and business case development for carbon credit certification.
• Proposed and led a partnership with 20 agribusinesses to adopt carbon reduction practices, achieving measurable growth and market readiness; notably supported Scarlet Farms in biochar utilization and guided 100 small-scale out-grower farmers.
• Facilitated green job creation by embedding sustainable business models across 20 agribusiness MSMEs, prioritizing youth employment and skills development, and creating new career pathways in carbon accounting, carbon finance management, and renewable energy solutions.

Developed and executed market-based strategies for the SKY (Skilling Youths for Employment in Agribusiness) program, creating sustainable job opportunities and boosting economic growth across four agricultural zones in Uganda.

• Proposed and successfully led initiatives that enhanced the efficiency and profitability of 250 agribusiness MSMEs, achieving significant results.
• Spearheaded the conversion of a rice milling operation's husks into a sustainable heat source, reducing heating costs by 60% and introducing a new revenue stream from briquettes sold to poultry farms.
• Established partnerships with five vocational schools to implement short-term training programs, developing a sustainable talent pipeline for future staff.

Led the 'Breaking Barriers' project, empowering farmers and entrepreneurs in the Agago and Pader districts by integrating them into the sunflower value chain and enhancing productivity and sustainable practices.

• Proposed and implemented a model for businesses to incorporate short-term youth training programs, creating over 1,200 green jobs in biogas production, biochar production, irrigation management, and waste management sectors.
• Assisted four local seed businesses in expanding out-grower networks and developing innovative packaging solutions, connecting them with 10 farmer groups for improved rice seed supply.
• Partnered with ten vocational schools and two universities to design and launch new courses on carbon credits, carbon capture, and green job skills, including a mandatory greenhouse management curriculum.
• Facilitated partnerships between youth, farmers, and market actors across 40+ MSMEs in organic crop production, poultry farming, beekeeping, and dairy processing, introducing sustainable practices like organic waste recycling and efficient water usage.
• Successfully integrated farmer groups to become out-growers for two major oil seed value chain companies (Mukwano Industries, Mount Meru Millers), ensuring produce sales at season end.
• Led a 5-member team, including a gender expert and two agronomists, to focus on community practices, gender-biased stereotyping, resource allocation, technical farmer training, environmental protection, and bee keeping.

Co-authored research exploring the willingness of Sub-Saharan African farmers to adopt smart poultry solutions, analyzing the impact of information strategies within Uganda's Growmax Case.