Members
Chigozie Nweke-Eze
Africa, Germany
CEO, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)
Mr Nweke-Eze is an economist and a geographer working on financing, governance, and infrastructure of energy and mining projects in Africa. He consults with public and private sector on hydrogen development and works on a number of hydrogen project pipelines in Africa.
Prof Prathieka Naidoo
South Africa
Professor, Stellenbosch University
Prof Prathieka Naidoo is a professor in chemical engineering at Stellenbosch University, in the Department of Process
Engineering. Her research focus is in the areas of separation technology, and chemical thermodynamics, i.e., phase
equilibria measurement and modelling.
Nair de Sousa
Angola
Director, African Circular Business Alliance (ACBA)
Ms Nair de Sousa is a climate geoscientist and an energy consultant. She develops business models that ease the implementation of low-carbon technologies and that accommodate synergies for infrastructure development into domestic markets into Africa.
Dr Solomon Agbo
Africa, Germany
Senior scientist and project manager, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Dr Agbo is currently manages the corporate development unit from where he coordinates the YESPVNIGBEN and H2Atlas-Africa projects. Since the past 18 years he has been working in the field of renewable energy as a scientist, academic and project manager across institutions in Europe and Africa.
Marie Badiane-Mbuyu
Senegal, France
Of Counsel, Alexander & Partner
Marie Badiane is a French lawyer advising small and medium-sized companies with a focus on energy and technology-driven innovation. Marie Badiane worked successively for Mazars and GB2A avocats – a company that advises sponsors and communities on local project financing.
Toni Beukes
Namibia
Head of Environment, Social & Governance (ESG), Hyphen Hydrogen
M Beukes is an admitted attorney and seasoned renewable energy executive with more than 18 years’ experience across energy, oil and gas, and construction. She has been actively involved in developing the wind industry in South Africa, and was both Director of the South African Wind Energy Association and Chair of the organisation’s Economic Development Working Group.
Junaid Belo Osagie
Japan
Executive Director, Mizuho
Mr. Belo-Osagie is an Executive Director of the Investment Banking Division at Mizuho, with a specific interest in clean energy investments in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is also the chairman of the AHP Financial Advisory Group. He started out his career in the Energy sector after a distinguished career at Citigroup, where he worked in FX, Global Transaction Services and Strategic Risk Management.
Catherine Irura
Kenya
Managing Director, Sowitec
Ms Irura is a project manager and legal practitioner working in renewable energy project development and compliance. She has developed wind and solar projects in Kenya and undertaken sustainability assessments to align these projects with the IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability, as well as drafted and negotiated bankable project agreements for renewable energy projects.
Prof Bamidele Adebisi
United Kingdom
University Board Member, African Hydrogen Partnership (AHP)
Prof Adebisi is a Professor in Intelligent Infrastructure Systems, and the Director of the Smart Infrastructure and Industry and Research (SIIR) Group at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Prof Adebisi is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of Institution of Engineering and Technology. He is a research leader with a strong track record of delivering high quality research, knowledge transfer, teaching and learning.
Joyce Kabui
Africa
Africa Manager, Green Hydrogen Organisation (GH2O)
Ms Kabui manages the Africa section of the Green Hydrogen Organization, whose aim is to promote and accelerate the sustainable production and use of green hydrogen, mitigating climate change and delivering reliable and secure clean energy. She has vast experience in policy and communications, public affairs, partnership building, influencing, and movement building.
Amos Wemanya
Africa
Just Energy Transition Lead, Power Shift Africa
Mr Wemanya is the senior advisor, renewable energy and just transitions of the non-governmental and civil society group, called Power Shift Africa. Amos Wemanya leads the research, advocacy and communications group relating to renewable energy and just energy transition. He lends the civil society perspective on energy projects and hydrogen development.
Alda Manuel
Angola
Energy Project Manager, German Economy Delegation (AHK)
She works as Energy Project Manager at German Economy Delegation in Angola, and she is a Member of the Board of the Angolan Association of Renewable Energy (ASAER). She is well versed in engaging with various stakeholders in the Angolan energy space and enhancing the energy transition in Angola, being engaged in the Germany-Angola H2 diplo Hydrogen project.
Dr Debora Kimbuta
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United States
Director, Namibian Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI)
Dr Chiguvare is currently the director of the Namibian Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI), a government-funded national institute at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. He is also the chair of Namibia Private Sector Green Hydrogen Task Force, consisting of large industrial groups, SMEs, start-ups, laboratories and R&D centers, clusters and territorial authorities.
Tuliikeni Ndadi
Namibia
Senior Technical Advisor – Green Hydrogen
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Ms Ndadi is a mining and an internatinal resource manager, working with the International PtX Hub which advocates for the global breakthrough of sustainably produced synthetic fuels and feedstocks based on renewable energies. She also works with the Green People’s Energy which is a global project, where she supports social institutions, small businesses and rural areas to for increased use of decentralized renewable energies.
Heather Sonn
South Africa
Founder and Director, Gamiro Investment Group
Heather Sonn’s Gamiro Investment Group, is a strategic partner to Atlanthia Green Hydrogen in developing a green hydrogen processing plant at scale and for export in the Saldanha Bay IDZ on the west coast of South Africa. She served as the CEO of a stock-broking firm in Johannesburg and the Deputy CEO of the largest women’s investment group in South Africa.
Dr Sandile Mtetwa
Zimbabwe, United Kingdom
Project manager, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)
Dr Mtetwa is a project manager working on renewable energy and hydrogeb research and consulting. She completed her PhD in Chemistry where she investigated charge-carrying metal organic frameworks for their potential applications in energy (hydrogen) and sensing. In 2018, as the president of the African Society of Cambridge University, Mtetwa hosted the Africans Together conference.
Gina Elisa Lagunes
Nigeria, Germany
Head of the German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office, GIZ
Ms Lagunes has dedicated her career to international cooperation in the area of renewable energies, energy efficiency, energy services and climate change. From technical advisory for investment projects to policy advice, she has supported many cities and countries across the globe to increase the sustainability of their energy systems. She is a firm believer in green hydrogen’s potential to decarbonize the economy.
Dr. Chiguvare Zivayi
Namibia
Director, Namibian Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI)
Dr Chiguvare is currently the director of the Namibian Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI), a government-funded national institute at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. He is also the chair of Namibia Private Sector Green Hydrogen Task Force, consisting of large industrial groups, SMEs, start-ups, laboratories and R&D centers, clusters and territorial authorities.
Dr. Chinnan Dikwal
Africa, UAE
Vice Chair Board of Directors, African Energy Council
Dr Dikwal has over 18 years of experience in the energy sector, including serving as the director on energy transition and hydrogen at KBR, London. As the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the African Energy Council (AEC), I oversee the strategic direction and governance of an independent think tank of experts who work across the Africa.
Jane Olwoch
Southern Africa
Executive Director, Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL)
Dr. Jane Olwoch is SASSCAL executive director since 2017. She is a climate change impact specialist with over 20 years’ experience in training in higher institutions of learning and 15 years’ experience in research on the impact of climate change on natural and societal systems. Since 2020, she has being actively involved in green hydrogen development and coordination in Southern Africa .