Acclaimed chef and culinary innovator Fatmata Binta has been appointed as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, recognizing her exceptional advocacy for African heritage foods, women farmers, and sustainable food systems.
Born in Sierra Leone and based in Ghana, Binta has spent years championing underused African crops and empowering rural women through culinary innovation and community development.
“This role means standing at the intersection of culture, food, and policy advocating for Africa’s forgotten foods, and ensuring rural communities are heard,” Binta said upon accepting the honor on World Food Day, which also marked the 80th anniversary of the FAO.
Binta made history as the first African recipient of the Basque Culinary World Prize, an international recognition of chefs who use gastronomy as a tool for social change. She is the founder of the Fulani Kitchen Foundation, which supports small-scale female farmers across sub-Saharan Africa, and the creator of the Dine on a Mat nomadic restaurant concept celebrating indigenous African cuisines and communal dining traditions.
Her appointment reinforces the FAO’s commitment to promoting inclusive, sustainable, and culturally rooted food systems across the continent.
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