Panels

Panel:  Electrical Safety and Standards

Abstract:

Electrical accidents are a pervasive effect of development, or are they?  While sadly a regular occurrence wherever electricity has been available, statistics in developed countries actually show that the number of accidents can be reduced, even as more electricity is used.  The goal of the panel will be to examine the underlying common reasons for accidents, ways to prevent them, as well as the role of standards for the safe use of electricity.  The panel experts have background in both safety and standards, and will provide first-hand experience of what has been done in the previous decades to minimize the occurrence of accidents.  Many African regions are new or relatively new to electricity, and there is an opportunity for the continent to combine development with safety.

Panelists:

• John Nelson, NEI Engineering, USA
• Sreekumar Nhalur, Member, Prayas (Energy Group), Pune, India – Tentative
• Geisel Custodio, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda, Angola – Tentative
• Engr. Abogunrin Ademola Ayinla, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)

Bios:

John Nelson, P.E., NEI Engineering, USA.(moderator):  John P. Nelson graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, from the University of Colorado Boulder, in 1975. He performed post graduate studies in business administration from 1975-1979.

Prior to his retirement, Mr. Nelson held positions with Public Service Company of Colorado, from 1969-1979, Power Line Models, from 1979-1984 and NEI Electric Power Engineering from 1984-2014. In December 2014, Mr. Nelson retired as the CEO and a principle engineer of NEI Electric Power Engineering which he founded in 1984.

Mr. Nelson has also been active in the IAS Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee since 1980 where he received the Russel W. Mills award for outstanding contributions to PCIC. Mr. Nelson was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 1999 and is the recipient of the 2012 Harold Kaufman award and the 2018 IAS Distinguished Service Award.

Mr. Nelson has taught graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Colorado.

Engr. Abogunrin Ademola Ayinla has been working in Nigeria’s Power Sector in the areas of Power System Protection, SCADA System Engineering, System Operation and also Management for over 30 years. He is now the Assistant General Manager, System Operations (SO) ABUJA REGION at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN),since 2017. He is a certified Corporate Member of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) and he is a certified engineer by the standards of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He is also an active member of IEEE.

He started his career as a Protection Engineer in the then National Electric Power Authority (which in part is now Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN) for six years. He took that wealth of experience to SCADA as a SCADA engineer for another 22 years until he rose to the Assistant General Manager (SCADA). Then in 2017, he was appointed Assistant General Manager, Abuja Operational Region. Abuja Operational Region comprises of 21 Transmission Sub-stations.

Among the many trainings he has been through, the most notable where his trainings on SCADA Systems, he was in Vasteras, Sweden for SCADA trainings in 2001 and Nuremberg, Germany for SCADA System Administration Trainings in April 2006. In June 2015, he attended the training for Modern SCADA Systems at Towers Rotana, Dubai, UnitedArab Emirates.

He was on many technical teams during this career in the industry, most notable was the Resuscitation of SCADA RTU’s in 1995 to 1998 in some states of Nigeria. He was the technical head of a team that carried out a forensic research in auditing unaccounted loads on the TCN Network Nationwide. He also represented PHCN (now TCN)in pre Y2K assessment of Computer related equipment in a Government co-ordinatedCommittee.

His contributions as a Counterpart member of WAPP ICC project during the period of 2006-2009 is also of note.He was on a team that worked on the TCN-SCADA Project Reactivation with specific expertise on SCADA measurements in 2012. He has authored a number of papers and made presentations on SCADA systems.
He received a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Electrical/Electronics Engineering at Moshood Abiola Polythechnic Abeokuta (formerly Ogun State Polythechnic), Ogun State, Nigeria in 1986.

Sreekumar Nhalur, Member, Prayas Energy Group, India.   Sreekumar has been working in power sector in the areas of policy analysis, IT applications and automation & control from 1984. After 14 years of work in the industry, in 2000, he joined Prayas, a voluntary organisation based at Pune, India, and is currently Member, Prayas (Energy Group). The Energy Group works on policy analysis, governance and civil society capacity building in energy sector. Sreekumar is involved with all the energy programs of Prayas, but his focus is on equitable electricity access and democratisation of sector governance.

Sreekumar is a member of several government committees like the Advisory Committees of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions and a Board member of several voluntary organisations like the Knowledge In Civil Society trust and Water and Livelihood Foundation. He is also associated with the People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation in Andhra Pradesh and Ananda Bharathi, a learning centre for underprivileged girl children. As a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), he is associated with the activities of its Hyderabad chapter, especially related to electricity safety.  He is an author of many articles, papers, booklets, including a Citizens’ Primer on the electricity sector and a review of the last 25 years of electricity sector reforms.

Before joining Prayas, Sreekumar worked with CMC Limited, Hyderabad and with Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT – Bombay in 1984 and Master’s degree in Power Systems Engineering from IIT- Kharagpur.

Geisel Custodio, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda, Angola – Geisel Custodio received the Certified-Engineer degree from Agostinho Neto University, Angola, in 2010, and the Master degree in Power System Regulation and Control from the CIPEL – University Jose Antonio Echevarria – CUJAE, Habana, Cuba, in 2017.

He worked for 5 years as Teacher on High School in Luanda – Angola, and then moved to Hydroelectric Dam, as Field Engineer and Maintenance Supervisor. After that joined CHEVRON, working as Power System Engineer in Malongo – Angola.

His electrical involvement includes working with Power Load Shed (PLMS), Load Sharing, reliability projects, Load Forecast for Distribution System and power studies (2013 – at present).

In 2016, he started his own consultancy, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda. Since starting his consultancy, he has contributed to the electrical facilities inspections, test, and renewable energy industries, working on industrial and power systems.  He is also an expert witness with courtroom experience.

In 2018, He was elected as Coordinator of Electro-technical Community of Angolan Engineers Council.

Panel:  Energy Opportunities in Africa

Panel organizer & moderator:  Dr. Avoki Omekanda, Research Engineer, General Motors Global R&D Center Detroit MI, USA. IEEE Fellow, Chair Inter-Society Cooperation IEEE Industrial Applications Society

Abstract:  Energy is critical in any program focusing in a sustainable development of a community or a country.  Today, Africa is hungry for energy, as the demand is rising constantly with the increasing population, urbanization, and economic productivity.  It is also recognized that Africa is rich in energy resources, but most of the energy potential in the continent is not exploited yet.  Please join our panel discussions on Energy Opportunity in Africa, at PowerAfrica 2019 Conference, and listen to international experts on energy in Africa and its impact on the sustainable development of the continent.

Panelists:

Mr. Farouk Bello is an Energy Access Specialist at the World Bank working on the Nigeria Electrification Project, a $350 million loan facility to develop the Mini grid and SHS sub-sectors in Nigeria.  He is also a team member on the Regional Off-grid Electrification Project which aims to electrify public institutions such as Primary Health Care Centers, Primary and Secondary schools across 19 African countries.

He was the Team Lead at eN consulting, the private developer of 2 on-grid Solar IPPs located in Kaduna (50MW) and Jigawa (100MW) states.

At eN he was mainly in charge of on the ground stakeholder engagements, plant engineering, regulatory affairs and permits from the various govt agencies. Grid connection, ESIA, PPA, PCOA, project financing and structuring negotiations etc. From 2011 to 2015 he was a Manager and Special Assistant to the Executive Commissioner in the Consumer Affairs and Engineering Department at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission

Dr. Joseph Essandoh-Yeddu holds a BSc physics, an MSc. in Engineering with specialization in Energy & Environment from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and a PhD in Physics with specialization in Climate Change & Geosciences from the University of Texas at Austin, USA and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He is the Director for Strategic Planning and Policy at the Ghana Energy Commission. His main responsibilities include making energy demand and supply forecasts for the country. His co-chairs the national planning committee that prepare Ghana’s Annual Power Supply Plan.

Dr. Essandoh-Yeddu has been in Ghana’s energy sector since 1989 starting as a schedule officer for solar energy till his present position. He led the team that developed Ghana’s first Strategic National Energy Plan (SNEP: 2006-2020) and also leading the team updating it to cover up to 2030, a task expected to be completed this year. Besides, his regular work, he has been an adjunct professor in universities in and outside Ghana. He was a Burns Visiting Scholar on Sustainable Energy Solutions to the University of Lethbridge, Canada in 2014 and to the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2016.

He has been a member of IEEE since 2018 and currently an executive committee member of IEEE Ghana Section.  He has authored a number of papers and made presentations on sustainable energy development. And is involved with a broad cross section of climate change and sustainable energy planning and advisory groups with the UN’s Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change as well as the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Pending

Isaac Adekanye, MNSE, MNIEEE, SMIEEE, FNATE, MNIM, MNITAD – Senior member of the IEEE and former Nigeria Section Chair. Engr Isaac Adekanye is a graduate of Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin and University of Port Harcourt with degree in Electrical Engineering. He was employed by Agip Energy and Natural Resources (Nig.) Ltd in 1988 as a Trainee Supervisor. His experience in the oil and gas industry (onshore and offshore) spanned production operations, maintenance and logistics. He retired in 2017 as Production Operations Manager. He has extensive knowledge overall maintenance of plants for optimum performance. He currently oversees the Upgrade of FPSO FIRENZE as Project Manager for NETCO with the task of managing men and materials to ensure 99% uptime on all the components of the facility.
Engr Isaac Adekanye is an active member of NSE Port Harcourt Branch. He served the Electrical Division of NSE in 2001/2002 as the Publicity Secretary. He ensured that for the first time then, the ODM was successfully hosted outside Lagos as it was held in Port Harcourt. He later served in the NIEEE National EXCO in 2015/2016. He was a member of the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Committee of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in 2016. He is the current Chairman, Port Harcourt Chapter of NIEEE and National Exco member.
He led the reactivation of IEEE in Nigeria in 2000 and subsequently became Chair, IEEE Nigeria Section (2000 – 2005). In the course of service, he championed collaboration between IEEE Foundations and HP to donate a fifty (50) unit Computer (ICT) Tele Centre to University of Ibadan thus bringing then IEEE President to Africa for the first time to commission the project. He was Branch Counsellor for IEEE Student Branches in many Universities. He envisioned building relationship between professional bodies which culminated in MOU between NIEEE and IEEE – a relationship that has continued to be beneficial to both parties. In quest for professional development, Isaac actively belong to some professional bodies with outstanding presence. He is a Senior Member, Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (SMIEEE), registered Electrical Engineer with COREN and Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Management – Chartered (FNIM)
Isaac, is accomplished professional, who has attended top level technical/managerial training worldwide and so has acquired vast knowledge of project development/management and plant maintenance and operations in the oil and gas industry for over 30 years.

Dr. Robin Podmore – is co-founder and co-chair of IEEE Smart Village, as well as chair of the ISV Development Committee. He is also founder and President of Incremental Systems Corp. (IncSys), a private company that helps organizations train system operators to ensure reliability of the bulk power system. Robin is passionately dedicated to using his own expertise and inspiring others, including industry partners to help energy-impoverished communities build toward sustainable prosperity. In the markets that IEEE Smart Village serves, he actively promotes IEEE Smart Village’s open-source products and encourages industry to participate in consensus development of technology-interoperability standards needed for market acceptance and investor confidence in ISV’s community entrepreneurs.

Dr. Podmore received his Bachelors and Doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Dr. Podmore is a NERC Certified Reliability Coordinator. In 2013 Dr. Podmore was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for development of modeling and simulation tools for power system operation.

Panel organizer:  Joe Ojo, USA

Panel moderator:  Engr. John Oladipo Ayodele, Chief Operating Officer, Ibadan Distribution System, Nigeria

Abstract:

A large percentage of the population of Africa lacks electricity supply. The extension of the utility grid to remote locations is prohibitively uneconomical and not sustainable in the long run. Standalone power systems such as micro-grids deriving source of power from renewable energy sources are becoming popular and economically affordable in the context of rural electrification.

This panel will explore the feasibility of rural electrification, the experiences in Africa and potential technologies which will aid faster penetration. Financing of rural electrification and affordability by the rural will also be discussed.

Panelists:

Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi (Tentative) , Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency, Nigeria

Prof. Eli Bala, Director General of Nigeria Energy Commission

Sreekumar Nhalur,  Member, Prayas (Energy Group), Pune, India

Engr. Austyne DURU, founder and senior consultant at MODULUS

Bios:

Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi (Tentative)
Damilola Ogunbiyi is the first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency and is responsible for Implementing the Nigerian Off Grid Electrification Programme and the Nigerian Electrification Project which is a $350m World Bank facility to rapidly increase the develop solar mini grids and the deployment of solar home systems within Nigeria. She is also responsible for the Energizing Education Program, an effort by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to provide uninterrupted electricity to Nigeria students by providing power through off-grid captive power plants to 37 federal universities and seven university teaching hospitals. She also developed the Energizing Economies Initiative, which provides sustainable and affordable off grid power solutions to the largest markets in Nigeria. When completed 100,000 SME’s will be connected to uninterrupted power supply.
She is also the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) Coordinator. This role includes coordinating the activities of the PSRP, which is a series of policy actions, operational, governance and financial interventions to be implemented by Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) over the next five (5) years (2017-2021) to restore the financial viability of Nigeria’s power sector, improve transparency and service delivery, and RESET the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry for future growth. She is also responsible for coordinating all the FGN activates to secure $2.5 billion of funding from the World Bank for the PSRP. She previously worked as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Power, and the Head of the Advisory Power Team (APT) in the Office of the Vice-President.
Before joining the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Mrs. Ogunbiyi was the first female to be appointed as the General Manager of the Lagos State Electricity Board, which is responsible for public lighting, independent power projects, and energy development in Lagos State. Under her leadership, five independent power projects were completed to deliver over 55 megawatts of power to Lagos State hospitals, schools, streetlights, and the Government secretariat. In renewable energy, she completed 5MW decentralized solar project for 213 schools and clinics in Lagos State.

Engr Sam Musa Chundusu is a Director, Planning, and Research & Development with Rural Electrification Agency (REA) of Nigeria. He joined National Rural Electrification Agency, REA as Principal Manager/Zonal Coordinator of the North Central Geo- Political Zone in September 2006 and he pioneered the Coordination that led to opening the REA North-Central, South-South and South East offices. Due to level of commitment and exceptional performance with the Agency, he was appointed Director of project with the Agency in 2012 till 2014. Before joining REA, Engr. Sam worked with various MDA’s in Plateau State of Nigeria where he rose to position of Chief Electrical Engineer.
Engr. Sam has worked in various working groups where he contributed enormously, some of these includes
National Technical Working Group: Nigeria Electricity Supply & Installation Standards & Code of
Practice being coordinated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) 2012 – 2013 (Member),
Nigerian Society of Engineers, Plateau State Chapter 2006 (secretary), Committee on Solar Utilization in
Plateau State 2005/2006 (Secretary), Part time Lecturer, Electrical Department, Plateau State Polytechnic.
External Supervisor, NTA College, Jos.
His affliated to many professional institute that include and not limited to: Member, Council for the Regulation of Engineering Practice in Nigeria, COREN , Corporate Member, Nigerian Society of Engineers MNSE, and the Past Secretary of NSE, Jos Branch , Member, Institute of Power Engineers, Member, Nigerian Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers, MNIEEE, Member, Nigerian Institute of Procurement Engineers, Fellow, National Institute of Human Capital Development , Recipient National PEACE award, among others

Sreekumar Nhalur

Sreekumar Nhalur.  Sreekumar has been working in India in power sector in the areas of policy analysis, IT applications and automation & control from 1984. After 14 years of work in the industry, in 2000, he joined Prayas, a voluntary organisation based at Pune, India, and is currently Member, Prayas (Energy Group). The Energy Group works on policy analysis, governance and civil society capacity building in energy sector. Sreekumar is involved with all the energy programs of Prayas, but his focus is on equitable electricity access and democratisation of sector governance.

Sreekumar is a member of several government committees like the Advisory Committees of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions and a Board member of several voluntary organisations like the Knowledge In Civil Society trust and Water and Livelihood Foundation. He is also associated with the People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation in Andhra Pradesh and Ananda Bharathi, a learning centre for underprivileged girl children. As a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), he is associated with the activities of its Hyderabad chapter, especially related to electricity safety.  He is an author of many articles, papers, booklets, including a Citizens’ Primer on the electricity sector and a review of the last 25 years of electricity sector reforms.

Before joining Prayas, Sreekumar worked with CMC Limited, Hyderabad and with Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT – Bombay in 1984 and Master’s degree in Power Systems Engineering from IIT- Kharagpur.

Engr. Austyne DURU is a COREN-licenced Electrical Engineer, a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), and a member of Nigerian Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (NIEEE). He practices as an engineering consultant in the telecommunications, housing, and power sectors of Nigeria. As a management practitioner, he a fellow of the Institute of Professional Managers and Administrators (IPMA), and holds fellowship of Institute for Management Consultants (IMC). He is a training consultant accredited by the Center for Management Development (CMD), and a member of the Nigeria Institute for Training and Development (NITAD).

He is the founder and senior consultant at MODULUS – expanding to electric power solution startup business that he has managed for four (4) years. His previous experiences includes a decade at Airtel Networks Limited where he rose to Senior Manager for Site Deployment; a biennial stay as RAN and Transmission Engineer with MTN Nigeria Limited; and a year stint at Telnet Network Services.

In 2001, Austyne DURU was awarded a first class honours degree in Communications Engineering programme from the Electrical & Electronic Engineering department of Federal University of Technology Owerri. He holds a Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree from University of Port Harcourt; and a Master’s degree in Telecommunications from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. He is seeking Doctoral studies at the prestigious University of Lagos in Nigeria.

Austyne DURU belongs to that class of Nigerian born & bred Engineers who see a lot of opportunities within the challenges confronting our nation. He is a vocal public commentator who does not stop at reading out the problems but goes further to outline possible solutions. He is a resolute and articulate Engineer who believes so much in the latent competencies of local Engineers.

Panel Organizer:  Engr. Abdullateef Aliyu

Abstract:         Over the past decade a multitude of African nations have experienced rapid and meaningful economic growth, with an increasing reliance on affordable and energy efficient energy. The demand for power remains a major challenge to the continent. Outlying rural areas lack access to electricity due to poor grid infrastructure and the vast distances power needs to be distributed. This energy poverty leads to a multitude of socio-economic problems. Development of public investments such as schools, health centers, clean water and sanitation remain unfeasible without electricity. Lack of power means small enterprise is limited, homes continue to be illuminated with diminishing natural resources, and the wonders of modern global communication remain tantalizing out of reach. Fortunately, the development of off-grid solutions is starting to address this challenge. This panel will address the opportunities and challenges entrepreneurs and developers face in seizing and sustainably exploiting what is a widely recognized as a major opportunity, the introduction of a multitude of small-scale distributed energy service companies into the market.

Moderator:

Engr Samuel Uzoma Orji: Engr Samuel is an alumnus of Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria Executive Management Program.

He holds various certifications in Sales and Strategic Account Developments from ITC Management Consulting Nuremberg Germany and participated in the following trainings – Strategic Elite Account Leadership Training Program, Global Solutions Elite Team Training Program, Project Management Training and Smart Communications Training Program (Optical IP Solutions, SDH/PDH Portfolio, NMS Overview) in China, and Germany from 2007 to 2018. A recipient of Honorary Credential for Sales Professional C&Q – Level 4 from Huawei Technologies Ltd in 2019. He holds a Bachelor in Engineering (B. Eng) degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria obtained in 1998. Sam is presently responsible for the solution sales, market penetration and consolidation of ICT solutions for the Energy Sector (Oil & Gas, Utilities) within Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited. Acts as a Vertical Solutions Expert/Industry Communicator. In the past three years with Huawei Sam has been involved in Sales and customer relationship development.

In addition Sam has represented the organization in the following events:

• WAPIC(West Africa Power Industry Conventions) Lagos – 2015, 2016
• DPR Workshop on National Production Monitoring Lagos – 2017
• NPSC IP Telephony/IP Network Upgrade Project – 2017/2018
• Smart Metering solutions for Lagos Water Works – 2018
• SCADA/EMS Technical Workshop Abuja– 2018
• SNEC 2018 Solar PV Conference Shanghai – 2018
• Technical Presentations for NNPC Top Management – 2017, 2018
• REA Mini-grid Workshop/Stakeholders Conference Abuja – 2018
• Huawei Oil & Gas summit Abuja – 2018
• African Smart Grid Forum Kigali Rwanda – 2018

Sam Orji is a corporate Member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), a registered member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), a Fellow of Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC) and has over 15 years of experience in the Energy Sector

Panelists:

Suleiman Yusuf – Mr. Suleiman is a degree holder in Economics from Bayero University, Kano. The founder of Blue Camel Energy, he is the managing director and CEO of the company with over 11 years in renewable energy & power backup systems, over 7 years in intelligence gathering & investigation, technical training, research & planning. A firm believer in customer satisfaction, sustainable and clean energy, he has been responsible for the successes of the company over the years of existence & through his leadership, he has been recognized with both local & international awards such as the African Entrepreneur of the year, 2016, by the All African Business Leaders Awards, Luminous Best Dealer Award, 2015 amongst several others. He is committed in breaking frontiers in developing products and tailor made energy solutions for the Nigerian market for increased access to reliable, sustainable, cost effective & environmentally friendly clean energy sources. Resolute to the company’s vision and overall objective, Mr. Suleiman conceived an idea borne out of the need to educate, empower and impact, he has established and operationalized a state of the art Solar Assembly Plant and Renewable Energy Training Academy located in Kaduna State with the aim of increasing Nigeria’s participation in the renewable energy value chain through increased local participation of skilled technical personnel at different levels of the renewable energy value chain. This initiative will increase job creation and ignite economic activities.

Mark Dominic Mugisha – Masters in Development Practice – Regis University, Denver, USA, CECREF Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, International Center for Hydropower (ICH) Trondheim Norway. Is currently a USADF implementing partner engaging grantees in all aspects of their projects; due diligence, project development and day to day transactional and technical support including preparing the projects for follow on financing.  Funded by the off-grid program of USAID’s Power Africa program. Also as a renewable energy in Uganda, Mugisha has engaged in major project planning, feasibility studies (including technical feasibility, environmental, and social impact assessment and financial close), licensing & permit acquisition, implementation as well as operations and maintenance in  the off-grid and the on grid space and in Solar, Biomass and Hydropower.

A key founder of SolarNow Services, Uganda Ltd. a leading solar home system financing company in Uganda with expanded in Kenya debt and equity financing USD$40m from Sunfunder, Novarster, Acumen, Alpha Mundi, AECF and OIKOCredit among others.

Jude Numfor – CEO REI-Cameroon, Jude is a seasoned entrepreneur with exceptional experience in off-grid electrification. He has great passion for the people in the off-grid communities and a member of the IEEE Smart Village. REIc is a social enterprise providing off-grid electrification solar powered AC and DC micro-grids. Jude will share his experience in bringing electricity to very remote villages with populations as low as 50 households and stimulating economic activities in these off-grid areas.

Panel organizer & moderator:  Kartik Kulkarni, Principal Member of Technical Staff, Oracle Corporation, Redwood City, USA. Chair, IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee

Abstract:  Impact assessment enables project teams to question assumptions, better determine good practices, adapt, improve, and also be able to more effectively tell their project’s story in order to attract more support. In this panel, attendees will learn about impact assessment, focusing on Social Return on Investment (SROI) – the theory, examples of SROI assessments that are currently underway with IEEE sustainable development projects, and questions of how it can be best utilized.

Panelists:  Monica LaBiche Brown
Founder and Executive Director

Africa Development Promise

Monica LaBiche Brown founded Africa Development Promise is June 2013 and launched the organization in May 2014. Monica is from Seychelles, an African island nation in the Indian Ocean but spent her formative years in Kampala, Uganda. Living in both countries, she experienced first-hand the challenges that developing countries face, especially in the rural areas.

Wanting to make a difference, Monica focused her efforts on gaining experience in development practice.  Her development career includes twelve years at the World Bank and eight years at Water for People.

Monica holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Management from Regis University, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Spelman College, and a Graduate Certificate in Development Practice from Regis University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the National Association of Negro Women where she received the 2016 Living Portraits Award.

Lwanga Herbert (IEEE Uganda Section) – is the Co-founder of M/S LOG`EL GROUP. A group of companies in the technology/ innovative related sectors. Among the sectors these include Research and Development (R&D), renewable energy, IT, software applications and related technologies.

He is also a co-founder of the Non Profit Arm LOG`EL Science Foundation, an organization that exists for young people’s involvement into the national development agenda through the application of science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Lwanga is the immediate past chair of the IEEE Uganda Subsection, and he is the current chair of IEEE Uganda SIGHT.

Lwanga serves as a committee member of the IEEE SIGHT Operations subcommittee and the EPICS in IEEE subcommittee of IEEE Educational Activities Board.

Sampath Veeraraghavan: Mr. Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan currently serves as Chair of the 2019 IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee. As such, he is a member of the Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) established by the IEEE Board of Directors.

Mr. Veeraraghavan, an internationally recognized technologist, is best known for his pioneering leadership and technological innovations in developing large-scale computing systems, advanced software technologies and systems engineering solutions to solve complex real-world computing challenges across multidisciplinary domains such as healthcare, disabilities, education, poverty alleviation, assistive technologies and security.

He received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA (2010) and B.E. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, Tamil Nadu, India (2005). Currently, he works as a Technical Program Manager at Amazon, Massachusetts.

Mr. Veeraraghavan is the founder and director of the technology-based humanitarian program “The Brahmam” (meaning knowledge) which aims to address pressing global and local humanitarian challenges in developing nations through advanced technological solutions. For over a decade, he delivered technology-based sustainable programs that brought together the engineering community, Non-Government Organizations, Governmental agencies, engineers, students and disability advocacy groups to improve the living conditions of children with disabilities, impoverished women and students in developing nations.

SEAN MASAKI FLYNN, PhD, is the author of the international bestseller Economics for Dummies and the co-author, along with Campbell McConnell and Stanley Brue, of the world’s bestselling economics textbook. A U.S. national champion in the Japanese martial art of aikido, Sean was born in the Philippines to a father who was a World War II combat veteran and a mother who immigrated from Japan to become a medical doctor and serve as a Lt. Cmdr in the U.S. Navy. Sean completed his doctorate in economics at U.C. Berkeley, studying under Nobel laureates George Akerlof and Daniel McFadden. He has taught at Vassar College in upstate New York and currently serves as the Chairman of the Economics Department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, USA. He has founded several companies, including an economic consultancy, the first company to offer student loan default insurance, and a non-profit that finds jobs for near 300 disabled workers each year.

Dr. Sean Flynn is an assistant professor of economics at Scripps College. He is the author of the best-seller Economics for Dummies, which has now been translated into seven foreign languages, as well as the coauthor along with Campbell McConnell and Stanley Brue of the world’s best-selling college textbook, Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies.

Dr. Joyce Shyngle-Wigwe; Executive Director- Government Affairs & Policy, West Africa GE:

Joyce has over twenty years’ experience in Legal/government affairs, working with various government agencies in Nigeria. She joined GE from Edut Shely Limited, a firm of Legal & Management Consultants where for eight years, she was the Managing Partner. Prior to Edut Shely, she was Legal Advisor/Team Member, Regulatory & Transaction Monitoring Unit (RTM) of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP) where she served to unbundle the Power holding company and to midwife the power sector reform.

In GE, Joyce leads West Africa’s government affairs & policy. She plans and develops key strategies, implements actions vis-à-vis government institutions and regulatory agencies across different sectors. She guides GE’s economic policy formulation and stakeholder engagements in the sub-region and coordinates with GE leadership globally, GE businesses and GE sub regional executives on the development of positions on various issues and implementation of government affairs/policy projects.

Joyce graduated with a master’s and Doctorate degree in Law from Stanford University Law School, California, USA and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Benin, Nigeria. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Philippa Makobore: Philippa Makobore is the Department Head of the Instrumentation Division at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI). She holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada, a Professional Certificate in Embedded Systems Engineering from the University of California, Irvine and is currently completing an MSE in Biomedical Engineering with Purdue University. Her core expertise is the design of non-invasive medical devices, appropriate for low resource contexts. Under her leadership, UIRI has developed award winning medical devices that include an infant warmer, a diagnostic tool for pneumonia and an Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion Set (ECGF). The division secured a 1st place Innovation Award from the Patient Safety Movement Foundation in 2016 and the 2nd Place Innovation Prize for Africa in 2017 for the ECGF. The ECGF has been clinically validated in both adults and children with funding from Grand Challenges Canada. She is the project lead for UIRI in the UBORA consortium that comprises of East African and European partners that have developed an e-platform for the co-design of open source medical devices. UBORA is funded by an EU Horizon 2020 grant. She is a founding member and chairperson of IEEE Women in Engineering Uganda Section and a member of the IEEE WIE R8 Subcommittee.

Folorunso Aliyu is the Group Managing Director of telecommunication company, Telnet Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost ICT firms. He has been involved in some of the earliest transformational and innovative solutions in the Nigerian ICT landscape

Aliyu joined Telnet Group in 2000 and as functioned in various capacities including Head of Network Support department, the National Coordinator of Network Support unit, the managing director of iTECO (Nigeria) Limited- a subsidiary of the Telnet Group and the Group Project Director.

Aliyu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Lagos Business School (LBS). He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC).

He is passionate about human capital development and volunteers frequently for mentoring and development activities of the Nigerian Youth. He is a published author and married with three children.

Jelani Aliyu, a Nigerian designer who designed a globally renowned electric car, the Chevrolet Volt was recently appointed by President Buhari as the director-general of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC). The Chevrolet Volt has been described as a modern day revolutionary product, one that would change the world. As the head of the council, Aliyu, would be in charge of implementing new development policies for Nigeria’s  automobile industry. After graduation, he was immediately noticed by an American multinational corporation that designs and markets vehicles, General Motors. GM vehicles are sold under various brands such as, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden and many more. He began his career as a design staff at General Motors in 1994 and he has been with GM since then. Jelani Aliyu is considered by many as the super star of the General Motors renaissance

Panel organizer:

WIP Moderator-Ugomma Debbie Ogu

Ugomma Deborah Ogu is an Electrical Engineer with over 7 years experience in Energy and power, Cloud computing, project planning and analysis ,currently pursing a career in cybersecurity . She is a STEM mentor for several professional organisations with focus on young girls. She is an alumni of YALI-RLC West Africa and the past National Secretary ,member of AWEC Africa and program officer for UNESCO Youth forum Nigeria. She is a serial volunteer and community development advocate. She is a member of IEEE Nigeria, IEEE women in Engineering (WIE ), IEEE Young Professionsls ,Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and currently her global Ambassador , NIEEE, APWEN Lagos Chapter, IBM community Africa and Techmaker Nigeria. She has served in various social and professional capacities with recorded success and accomplishments. She runs a community based initiative that supports reading in children were over 4000 books have been donated to children . She loves researching and enjoys dancing

Panelists: Samantha Niyoyita, Omowunmi Mary Longe, Sally Musonye, Engr. Mrs. Aderonke Akinwumi

Abstract:

The demand for energy supply is increasing progressively in this age and time in every sector of human activities. There is need for an all-inclusive active participation by every gender. The role played by women to drive this growth is below the required level and is at the threshold with several limitations. This is a big source of concern to see a drive for more women to be involved in key roles in this ever growing demand. Though there are several challenges being attributed to this,these factors will be discussed and possible solutions derived alongside.

PURPOSE – To discuss the various factors that are making it difficult for more women to participate actively in the power and energy sector. Panelists will share their experiences, knowledge and suggestions that will promote the necessary actions. To equally gain a better understanding of the current state of affairs with respect to gender and energy in the educational structure in Africa.

INTENDED OUTCOME – Participants and the IEEE women in Power will increase their awareness and commitment towards driving active engagement in the sector. They will promote the necessary solutions discussed through corporate and community activities in policy, business, leadership and advocacy to ensure more women are given every needed support to function in the industry.

Dr. Omowunmi Mary Longe: Dr. Longe received her D.Ing in 2017 from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Science. Previously, she obtained M.Eng and B.Eng degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2011 and 2001 respectively from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.  She is a member of notable professional organisations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, (IEEE) USA, IEEE – Power and Energy Society (IEEEPES), IEEE – Women in Engineering (IEEE – WIE), Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE), Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), and Society of Women Engineers (SWE), USA. She is also registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). She has published more than thirty papers in referred journals and conference proceedings. She is also a reviewer for some ISI-listed and referred journals such as IEEE Access, MDPI Energies, MDPI Sustainability, MDPI Applied Sciences, Elsevier Energy Conversion and Management, Elsevier Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks (SEGAN), International Journal of Energy and IET Networks. She is also Guest Editor for Special Issue on Smart Energy Management for Smart Grids, MDPI Sustainability and had served as a project reviewer for APPEAR AT, Austrian Development Cooperation, Austria. She has also served as a member of IEEE Smart Cities Research and Development Committee. She has served as member of Technical Programme Committee for local and international conferences including the IEEE PAC 2019 and member, Event Management Committee, IEEE 2018 Africa Student and Young Professional Congress, Abuja, Nigeria.  She is presently in senior lecturer in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Her research interests include Demand Side Management, Demand Response, Energy Management, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Technologies, Microgrid design, Distributed Energy Storage, Distributed Energy Generation, Rural electrification, Energy and Gender Poverty Nexus, Women in Engineering, and System Analysis and Dynamics. She is making tangible contributions in her areas of expertise locally and internationally

Oluwaseunfunmi Aderonke Akinwumi

is a power system engineering researcher who has both the theoretical and practical grasp of her field of interest and has been actively involved in researches for over eight (8) years. Her research interest is distribution networks’ reliability improvement through monitoring and control. She is currently rounding off her post graduate course as a Doctor of Philosophy student at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. She previously obtained a Master of Science Degree in Power System Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the same department and university in 2013 and 2008 respectively. Aderonke Akinwumi is a well-seasoned and registered electrical engineer with some professional bodies like the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Nigeria Society of Engineers since 2016. In addition, she has papers (both conference proceedings and articles of journals) published with reputable journals, technical transactions and presented at international conferences. Aderonke Akinwumi is currently working on Power Distribution Networks’ Critical Infrastructure Monitoring and Automatic Service Restoration for Reliability Improvement, and Practical Estimate of Electricity Generation Potential from Landfill Gas Projects. Aderonke Akinwumi lives in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Mrs. Sally Musonye is currently an Electrical Engineer at Kenya Power tasked with the supervision of design and construction of power lines up to 33kV. She also leads the last mile connectivity program aimed at increasing power access to the rural communities in Kenya. Sally graduated from the University of Nairobi with a BSC. Degree in Electrical Engineering and has received training and certification on Enterprise Risk Management.

She is a graduate member of the Engineers Board of Kenya and an active professional member of IEEE Kenya section and Power and Energy Society (PES) , Kenya.  In addition, she holds various leadership roles in IEEE including serving as the founding and past chair of IEEE Women in Engineering Kenya, former University Students’ branch chair and member of IEEE Sight Kenya committee. Currently, she volunteers as the IEEEmadC judges lead and a subcommittee YP member for IEEE Africa.

Passionate about STEM, she has devoted herself to mentoring girls to study STEM by conducting mentorship sessions various institutions ranging from primary to tertiary level. This she does through her organization AshGold Africa that seeks to inspire the “golden” experiences of the young girls to pursue science and engineering careers. The motivation behind her work is inspired by her immediate environment and network of women in tech careers who are pushing barriers in the corporate world.

Her previous speaker and panel engagements have been at IEEE WIE International Leadership Conference (USA), IEEE Global summit (Bangalore) and IEEE EASYP (Uganda). She hopes to increasingly engage the sector players to continually address the gender gaps and misconceptions in the sector to drive development across the continent.

Mercy Chelangat K. is a electrical engineer with unending interest in renewable energies, with a focus on
sustainable community development and emerging trends such as Electric Vehicles and E-Mobility.
Mercy possesses a Bachelors Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Moi University, Kenya. She specializes in Solar engineering and humanitarian development. Mercy has been an ardent
volunteer at the IEEE Kenya Section and the Power Energy Society (PES) Kenya Chapter. Mercy serves as the Publicity, Marketing and Historian Committee Chair Kenya Section, Secretary PES Kenya Chapter, and
PES Women in Power Rep. Africa Section. She has overseen the piloting of the NwB PES Renewable Energy for Kids Program and WiE Student Teacher and Research Engineer/Scientist program which aim to boost one on one interaction between students and professionals in engineering.
Mercy is currently overseeing the IEEE Smart Village initiative in partnership with the Maa Trust involving the construction of a solar powered IT Training Hub. She is undertaking electrical needs assessments as well as designing the solar system for the Maa Empowerment Hub, which includes the Vocational Training Centre, sourcing materials, installing and training youth in maintenance.
Mercy is also researching on the power requirements of new social enterprises that are currently in development in partnership with IEEE, including Maa e-Safari, which will involve the use of electric tuk tuks and trucks in transportation of passengers and goods in rural Mara. Mercy believes the future is electric.

Samantha Niyoyita: Samantha is a process engineer in a food processing company, AIF. She is involved in process control, new product development, technology analysis and acts as a coordinator of the energy conservation team. What drives Samantha is knowing that she uses her engineering knowledge to impact positively the lives of Africans by fighting against malnutrition.
The last springs from being an industrial technology engineer with a master’s degree in mechatronics and a bachelor’s degree in power and control from the Swiss Western University of Applied Sciences. Her experience includes projects involving energy control and automation, analysis and risk assessment in robotics. After returning to Rwanda, her interest in innovation and finding technical solutions led her to attend conferences on technology development. She is now a member of the IEEE Rwanda sub-section.