IEEE PowerAfrica 2020

Panos Vlahakis is Senior Operations Officer, Upstream, IFC, Istanbul, Turkey.  He has has over 35 years of energy sector experience in the electricity transmission and distribution sector. His technical expertise covers setting up master plans, technical specifications, designing standards and guidelines, power system planning and analysis, utility billing systems, SCADA systems, loss reduction and system optimization, project management, utility management, bidding document preparation for transmission and distribution projects, rehabilitation of power systems for mass transit systems. Since 2013 he is with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the private sector arm of the World Bank group as a senior energy sector specialist. Read more

Prof.  Izael Pereira Da Silva has a PhD in Power Systems Engineering from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). He is also a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). At present he is a Professor at Strathmore University and the Deputy Vice Chancellor – Research and Innovation. He is the Director of the Strathmore Energy Research Centre, SERC. The centre does training, research, testing and consultancy in energy related topics. His topics of interest are: Rural Electrification, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Policy, Sustainable Environment and Demand Side Management. Read more

Dr. (Eng.) John M. Mativo is currently the Ag. General Manager Project Development Services in the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), and he is responsible for formulating new high voltage transmission infrastructure and carrying our Monitoring & Evaluation of ongoing and completed projects. He also chairs the PPP Project Appraisal Team at Ketraco that is spread heading the implementation of new project using alternative funding. John Mativo has been involved in the planning, design and construction of 4,800km of high voltage transmission lines, 48 new substations and extension of 28 existing substations. The projects include the transmission regional interconnectors to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda.
He is a Registered Engineer (ERB) and a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya. He has more than twenty (20) years cumulative working experience in both the public and private sector accumulating extensive experience in research, design, construction supervision and contract management. He holds a PhD. Degree in Civil Engineering from Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan (2007).

Beatrice Muthoni, currently a Business Development Manager at InfraCo Africa sources, analyses and executes infrastructure projects to bring them to financial close. She has over 13 years’ experience developing and operating power infrastructure projects across Africa. Prior to joining InfraCo, Beatrice worked at KTDA-Power company where she oversaw the development and construction of renewable energy projects focusing on hydro and solar PV to power tea factories and the grid. Beatrice has also worked for Lafarge-Holcim and Schneider Electric where she led teams in the construction of several infrastructure projects as the head of engineering and automation.
Beatrice holds an MBA (Strategic Management) from U.S.I.U and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from J.K.U.A.T. 

Business Development Manager,
InfraCo Africa, Kenya.

Stephen Dihwa has over 30 years of experience in the power sector covering power system operations, transmission Substation and line maintenance, power system analysis, load forecasting, generation expansion Planning, transmission & distribution planning, protection system design and settings, transmission pricing, project management, renewable energy integration, power pool operations and strategic business planning. Participation in various regional projects some of them as Team Leader in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) including system stability studies and transmission pricing studies. Since end of 2017 have been Executive Director of the Southern African Power Pool Coordination Centre based in Harare, Zimbabwe covering the 12 mainland SADC states power sector. The role covers regional coordination of power system planning, operations, environmental management and electricity trading. Professionally a Registered Professional Engineer under the Zimbabwe Engineering Council; Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (FZweIE); Member of the USA-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (MIEEE); Member of the UK-based Institution of Engineering & Technology (MIET) and Registered as Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.) with the U.K. Engineering Council. Academically a holder of M.Sc. in Electrical Power Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK; B.Sc. Engineering Honours in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe and Diploma in Management from the Institute of Supervision & Management, UK.

Jean Madzongwe is a Transaction Advisor at the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) with responsibilities for developing regional generation and transmission projects in the SADC Region. She has several years of experience providing technical advise and transaction support in the energy sector.

Transaction Advisor,
Southern African Power Pool (SAPP)

Eng. Isaac Kiva is the Secretary for Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy. He heads the Directorate charged with policy formulation, and promotion of development and utilization of renewable energy, including facilitation of private sector investment.

Eng. Kiva has wide experience in public sector management, having worked in energy and senior Government positions for over 20 years. He is a registered Professional Engineer with Engineer’s Board of Kenya, a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya and a Gold member of the Association of Energy Professionals East Africa. He is a board member of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited.

Eng. Dr. Mackay Okure is the Interim Executive Director of the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) which is an intergovernmental institution established by the East African Community, with support from the Austrian Development Agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, to spearhead the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency interventions in the region. Eng. Dr. Mackay Okure is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Makerere University.

Interim Executive Director,
East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE)

Naresh Mehta is the Chairman of Schneider Electric Kenya Limited and also a Managing Director at the Prisma Technics Ltd. He first joined Bamburi Cement in 1976 as a Graduate Trainee in Electrical Department and worked with shift electricians moving into various departments. He later joined technical & industrial representation ltd where he started the panel building activity of the company with a staff of 20, to manufacture GEC English Electric fuse switchboards, motor control panels using telemecanique control gears, successfully completed several prestigious projects within five years of employment, some of which included: – Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya Navy, Reinsurance Plaza, Leyland Motor Vehicle Assembly, District Hospitals. In 1982 he became the managing director Power Technics Ltd. Over the years the company has excelled in its core activities of Electrical Engineering technology and superior sheet metal engineering, with the use of CNC Technology.

Eng. Johnson P. Ole Nchoe was the Managing Director and CEO of the Geothermal Development Company.
Eng. Ole Nchoe served as the Chief Manager, IT and Telecommunications at the Kenya Power Company for over 25 years until 2013. Prior to joining GDC, he had just concluded a two-year tour of duty at the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) where he served as a Director. Together with a team of consultants working in a donor-funded programme geared towards re-building the electricity network in Liberia, he made a great contribution in helping the Liberian company establish robust systems.
Eng. Ole Nchoe is a registered engineer and has 30 years of leadership and management experience. He holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and a BSc (Eng, Electrical) both from the University of Nairobi.

George Aluru is a dedicated professional in the field of electricity supply working in the field for over 10 years and currently leading in the development of wind and solar projects in Kenya.
George serves as the Managing Director of SOWITEC Kenya Limited, a leading global developer of grid-scale Wind and Solar power projects headquartered in Germany and active in 14 countries, and partially owned by Vestas. From the Kenyan office George also oversees the company’s activities in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Additionally, George currently serves as a Vice-Chair in the Kenya Private Sector Alliance’s Energy and Extractives sector board, as well as being a founder board member of the Electricity Sector Association of Kenya; business membership organizations that look to improve the business environment in the country.
George holds an MBA (University of Nicosia), M.Sc. Renewable Energy (University of Oldenburg), and a BSc. Telecommunications Engineering (JKUAT). He is currently writing his doctorate on ‘Investigating the use of short-term electricity trading to encourage variable renewable energy development in the Eastern African electricity market’.
George is a member of the Power and Energy Society of the IEEE with a special interest in electricity markets and a passion for encouraging the cooperation of players in the electricity sector to better the sector for the consumers and investors.