NIHAL ABDEL GHAFFAR, Accretive Corporation for Agriculture – “Atfa”, CEO and Owner
Nihal Abdel Ghaffar is the Co-owner of “Atfa” Plantation, and Founder and CEO of “Accretive Co for Agriculture SAE” and a member as well as digital advisor of the Egyptian Horticultural Export Improvement Association (HEIA)
Nihal has two decades of experience in dynamic environments of banking, finance, strategy and agriculture. She shifted her career radically from being a corporate banker in a global bank to agriculture. Nihal applied her 15-year prior experience in finance and banking to turnaround a financially staggering date palm orchard. Her objective has progressed from upgrading her own farm to restructuring the fruit value chain where she sees that farmers/owners do not get compensated for their risks and investments.
A high-achieving individual with an entrepreneurial mindset, the family-owned date palm orchard, became a viable agricultural venture producing top quality fresh Barhy dates and mangos under the Brand “atfa”. The plantation operating model employs the best-in-class practices with special emphasis on clean agriculture, clean energy and sustainability.
Nihal developed her own business venture Accretive Co for agriculture SAE and brand “Atfa” in 2019 with the objective of upgrading medium size farmers in the value chain by aggregating, marketing and co-branding produce of medium size fruit growers and developing their own branding in the market. Before that she was a high achieving corporate banker with impressive financial expertise that spans fifteen years with HSBC Bank Egypt. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated an exceptional ability to plan, lead and execute complex cross-functional programs and deliver significant portfolio growth and profits.
In her current roles she has delivered a model agricultural enterprise proving that delivery of business outcomes is doable while achieving SDGs. Nihal’s career has been a living proof of the power of diversity.
Nihal has a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo, and MBA with concentration in Finance and International Business.
SmartAgri Egypt project is implemented by Horticultural Export Improvement Association and Nahdet El Mahrousa. Together, they spearhead the “Partner Africa: Digital Solutions in Egyptian Agricultural Systems” project, running from 2022 to 2025.
