AKI’ full-time team has expanded with three new staff members since spring 2021: Anastasiia Fomina, Assel Tokperdinova and Teklezghi Teklebrhan.

Anastasiia Fomina is as project assistant responsible for AKI’s internship programs with  Russia and Georgia.

Cultural curiosity and interest in international affairs have always been a part of Anastasiia Fomina, therefore she decided to study linguistics at the International Institute of Market Studies in Togliatti, Russia, and later at the University of Erfurt in the field of International Relations and Slavic Studies. Her interest in other cultures remained and she gathered further intercultural experience by participating in international travel programs in different countries. In 2019, she was able to expand on this by assisting and organizing the 12th German-Russian Natural Resources Forum as part of her student internship in Leipzig, which she conducted in Saint Petersburg.

"Strengthening rural areas is essential for food security as well as for a green, solidarity-based and sustainable agricultural system", Anastasiia Fomina is convinced of this and want to contribute with her previous experience to AKI and promote the international exchange of ideas and potentials between the countries.

Assel Tokperdinova is responsible for AKI’s internship programs with Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

As part of Assel Tokperdinova's studies in forestry in Kazakhstan, she completed an internship on an agricultural training farm in Germany. Thus, she was given the opportunity to study in Germany. She decided to enroll in the dual international master's program in Agricultural Management at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University, which she successfully completed in 2019. Before becoming part of the AKI team, she worked for an international company near Berlin in the purchasing department and subsequently in the supply chain management. Thereby, Ms. Tokperdinova was able to gain further experience in international cooperation, which she now uses at AKI.

"It is important for me to maintain and expand partnerships in the long term through mutual exchange. I am looking forward to the future cooperation and new challenges at AKI."

Teklezghi Teklebrhan is the project manager for AKI's internship program with Kenya and is also responsible for the Burundi project.

The diverse approach to international agriculture extends through Teklezghi Teklebrhan's entire educational background and curriculum vitae: From his bachelor's degree in "Marine Sciences" to his second bachelor's degree in "Agricultural Sciences" to his master's degree in "Agricultural Economics and Rural Development", he acquired profound knowledge in the agricultural and food sector. First insights into international cooperation he gained through an internship at the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in the department Rural Development and Agricultural Economics. After his master’s degree, Mr. Teklebrhan worked as a project manager at IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH in Leipzig for projects in the field of Agricultural Vocational Education and Training (ATVET). Before joining AKI, Mr. Teklezghi Teklebrhan had established and managed a poultry farm in Ethiopia in July 2019. Through Mr. Teklebrhan's stays in the countries Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, he also has a deep and extensive knowledge of the regions and languages, which he can use very well in the international cooperation at AKI.

"Being part of the AKIs team is an honor for me! I was warmly welcomed into the team from the very beginning. The work at AKI is collegial and very familiar. I am pleased to be a part of the success team and to contribute to AKI. I work directly with family farms in Germany and with young farmers in Kenya. This combination fascinates me very much and motivates me a lot to perform".