SEDJRO CASIMIR DANNON

As a hero, I am one of the pioneers of the founding team of Sun King in Benin, with the mission to support the activities of the sales function, from customer acquisition to retention and loyalty, by designing, implementing, and refining tools, processes, and systems that result in operational efficiency and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

• Played a pivotal role in onboarding and mentoring Programs Optimization Managers across six new markets: Togo, Cameroon, Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique, and Myanmar.
• Successfully coordinated the launch of four AHQs.
• Actioned a core role in supporting the setup of the Kazi plan in new countries (Togo, Cameroon, Malawi, Uganda, Mozambique, and Myanmar) with professionalism.
• With remarkable adaptability, mastered the Kazi Plan Hub and App, providing unwavering support that enabled the Benin Republic to exceed sales targets by 130%—establishing it as Sun King’s fastest-growing market.
• Harness data management skills to frequently support all staff in data-driven decision-making, and become the go-to person within the organization.

I was promoted to assist the Technical Production Director in managing all operational and programmatic activities, including planning, budgeting, monitoring, reporting, day-to-day implementation interventions, facilitating training, research, and forming strategic partnerships with multiple stakeholders and partners.

• Fully engaged in creating scientific evidence on proper cashew spacing via a study on cashew canopy spread in 5/8 agro-ecological zones of Benin.
• There was a strong increase in the production of cashew seedlings (1.4M in 2022 and 1M in 2023) and nuts (up to 215K MT in 2023) in Benin, thanks to my consistent technical backstopping of 137 nursery operators, 69 grafters, and 4,689 farmers.
• Boosted efficiency (up to 90%) by operationalizing the monitoring system in place while ensuring regular field visits and quality assurance for prompt action.
• Revolutionized the cashew industry's progress in Africa by co-writing the book “A New Approach to Increasing Cashew Nut Production in Africa,” published by LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
• Helped design five agricultural certificate courses specializing in cashews.
• Created five biannual outstanding donor reports (USDA) on cashew production results and impacts.

I joined the policy and advocacy component to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of leading operational activities and program management.

• Designed a dynamic tool with a Smartsheet for effective program planning, development, and monitoring operationalization.
• Proactively managed all data (field activities, case studies, and human-interest stories) of a team of six members for tracking project indicators' progress.
• Induced positive change (up to 80%) in organizing training sessions and workshops by ensuring effective and inclusive communication and coordination (logistics and finances).
• Organized five coordination meetings with key cashew industry programs and projects to promote synergistic actions and increase impact.

I was brought on board to undertake data analysis on good agricultural practices for cashew production, and develop a strategic plan for training 10,000 cashew farmers on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) best practices, while promoting digital agriculture.

• Conducted intensive qualitative and quantitative analyses of over 12,000 ha of cashew plantations while generating practical key insights (policy recommendations) for developing a decision-making dashboard.
• Issued technical assistance in managing and processing multispectral drone data from 1.9k plantations.
• Conceptualized a decision tree for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices relating to vegetation indices.
• Showcased a strong capacity to translate data analysis results into a practical, strategic action plan to double Benin’s cashew nut production (300,000 MT).

I was positioned to contribute to the planning, implementation, monitoring, and data analysis of afforestation and sustainable forest management (SFM) activities across 11 state-owned forests.

• Collected and analyzed dendrometric data on over 10,000 ha of teak plantations.
• Promoted participatory SFM approaches with four local communities.
• Conceived several maps using geographic information systems to foster the monitoring of teak plantations across 11 forests.
• Contributed to revising six state-owned forest management plans in 2018.