Maria currently serves in the capacity of Head of Cluster Development and Partnerships. She joined SAGCOT Centre Ltd. in 2014. and has a solid track record of agribusiness leadership and has wide experience in coordinating public and private sector actors and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue on business opportunities in a wide range of agricultural value chains. Maria holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Crop Science from Makerere University Kampala-Uganda, and a Master’s Degree in Plant Breeding from the University of Nairobi-Kenya.

Prior to her post at the Centre, she was the CEO of Faida Market Link Company Ltd. (www.faidamarketlink.or.tz) for nine (09) years then later joined SNV - a Netherlands Development Organization Project in Tanzania as a Senior Advisor - Agriculture-Dairy Value Chain Development, overseeing country level dairy strategy development. She also worked for FAO-Dar es Salaam as the National Program Officer, Agribusiness; FAO-Southern Highlands Food Systems Program.