Philip Osano is an environmental policy expert with an interest in environmental policy, development, and international affairs.
Philip Osano is Chief Operating Officer (COO) at CIFOR-ICRAF. Before joining the organization, he was the Africa Center Director for the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), where he leads SEI’s research, policy engagement, and capacity strengthening on environment and development in Africa. He also serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board of UNU-IAS, and was appointed by the Government of Kenya as an Independent Board Member of the Kenya Space Agency, where he Chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. Previously, he was based at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, supporting the development of the Implementation Strategy and Roadmap for the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) for the 2015–2025 decade. He also worked as a consultant at World Agroforestry (ICRAF), supporting the preparation of the publication; “Farming Systems and Food Security in Africa Priorities for Science and Policy under Global Change” and at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), leading the evaluation of an ecosystem-based restoration project in Chongming Island, China. Some years back, he was a Graduate Fellow and Consultant at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Philip’s main interests are in environmental policy, development, and international affairs, and he has over 20 years of experience in applied research, project coordination, policy analysis, and university teaching. His research and policy engagement cover diverse topics including biodiversity conservation, air quality, climate change, agricultural policy, water and land management, and integrated environmental planning. Philip has published and co-authored more than 50 publications, including as the book “Young people, education, and sustainable development: Exploring principles, perspectives, and praxis” where he was co-editor and collaborated with the Nobel Laurate, the late Prof. Wangari Maathai.
A Jean Sauvé Fellow in Public Leadership, he holds a PhD in Geography with specialization in environmental policy from McGill University in Canada, an MSc degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and a BSc degree in Environmental Science from Egerton University in Kenya.