Africa Week

Our alumni stars in Africa

Thank you to all our fabulous alumni in, or from, Africa who have sent us their news. We heard from so many of you that we've shared stories each day through Africa Week. Explore the stories over these pages.

Why now?

Last week was Africa Week at the University of Leeds. Across campus this week, we celebrated the strengths, diversity and impact of African scholars, organisations and partnerships.

Botswana

Mmoloki Makoba (MEng Chemical & Mineral Engineering 2013)

Mmoloki is a Lecturer in Mining and Minerals Engineering at the University of Botswana. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Botswana International University of Science and Technology. She worked as a metallurgist prior to joining the education sector.

Egypt

Aya Al-Sharqawy (MSc Environment and Development 2021)

Aya is an environmental researcher and entrepreneur. She is the CEO and co-founder of Recyclizer, a start-up that specialises in recycling plastic waste into a product used to protect agricultural crops. Aya is British Council Study UK Alumni Award, Social Action finalist.
Find out more about Aya's work.

Mahmoud Seliman (Business 2020)

Mahmoud is a Sustainability and Supply Chain Manager at United Group.

Iman El-Mahallawi (PhD Metallurgical Engineering 1987)

Iman is a Professor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at Cairo University and Adjunct at the British University in Egypt. Iman's job includes: teaching undergraduate and postgraduate classes; leading research groups; writing, publishing and attending workshops and conferences; writing research proposals; and reviewing activities: journals, books, conferences, workshops and articles. Iman is a member of the Standards and Quality Assurance National Committee.

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Ethiopia

Bekele Geleta (MA Transport Studies 1974, Honorary LLD 2009)

Bekele is the Former Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Through his career, he travelled the globe to organise relief in the wake of famine and tsunami. He lobbied presidents and princes to keep the aid money flowing and persuaded diverse – often competing – groups to work together.

Ghana

Constance Bart-Plange (MA Public Health 1993)

Constance is a Public Health Consultant who is a TB regional coordinator, malaria control programme manager and a member of the Global Fund Technical Review Panel. She served on several international committees including the World Health Organisation, RBM, Global Fund and IVCC. She is currently a board member of the Anglogold Malaria Control Programme.

Lydia Donkor (LLM International and European Human Rights Law 2007)

Lydia is the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Ghana Police Service. After returning from Leeds, she ensured that Human Rights were included as a subject for police officers at the Police Academy. Lydia trained officers who, in turn, trained recruits to have human rights training as part of the curriculum for police training.

Lydia is currently the Director General of the Police Professional Standards Bureau. She is responsible for ensuring that complaints against police officers are investigated and the appropriate disciplinary measures are taken if the police officers are found culpable. She is also responsible for sensitising officers to the rules and regulations that guide all officers and their need to comply with them.

Edward Koranteng (LLM 2005)

Edward is CEO at Ghana Minerals Income Investment Fund. The Fund is a minerals sovereign wealth fund with over one billion dollars assets under management. They manage Ghana's equity interest in mining and invest along the entire value delivery chain of minerals like gold, lithium and other minerals.

Kenya

Paul Edonga (MSc Environment and Development 2016)

Paul is Founder and Executive Director of Save Beisa Oryx IP&L Community Trust-SBOC. He pioneered an indigenous led conservation project funded by the IUCN African Wildlife Initiative in 2020-2022. He then focused on bringing regional groups together to help the endangered beisa oryx while empowering local pastoralist communities’ livelihoods. SBOC is a collaborative network of grassroot alliances that work towards conserving endangered beisa oryx and other antelopes. The organisation includes 48 indigenous community-based Self-Help Groups with a membership of more than 764 ambassadors, 120 rangers and scouts monitoring wildlife and dryland forests, 60 indigenous conservation leaders and volunteers across more than 1 million pastoralist IP&LC landscapes of ASALs in Kenya.

SBOC is helping the beisa oryx population grow with initiatives like a community tree planting drive, joint landscape patrols, partners coordination meetings, citizen science data collection, species range evolutionary measurement analysis and regional knowledge dissemination.

Andrew Kirimi (MSc Finance and Investment 2011)

Andrew is Product Manager and Country Lead for the development and launch of the Fixed Income Mobile on the SC Mobile App. The app gives clients access to secondary market local government fixed income bonds in a simple and seamless mobile journey. Since launch they’ve increased female inclusion (115% growth in female investors compared to 72% growth in male investors) and improved Investing Culture in Youth (136% growth in investors within the 18-35 age range). They’ve added local issued Eurobonds and offshore foreign currency bonds, further enabling their clients to diversify their portfolios across currencies and regions.

Athuman Mtulya (MA International Journalism 2022)

As Editor of the BBC's Swahili Service, Athuman leads a team of more than 30 journalists and contributors from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, DRC and the UK. BBC Swahili is one of the legacy services of the BBC World Service division. He took charge of the service in April 2023, just four months after graduating from the University of Leeds.

Lesotho

Senate Molapo (BEng Civil Engineering with Construction Management 1995)

Senate is Director of Campus Services at the National University of Lesotho. Before this, Senate worked at the Roads Directorate from 2008 to 2018 as Director of Pavements and Materials and in planning and quality control at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

Malawi

Gumbi Gumbi (MSc Geographical Information Systems 2017)

Gumbi is a Data Management Coordinator and GIS Specialist for Mpatamanga Hydropower Limited (MHPL), a special-purpose vehicle company leading the development of the Mpatamanga Hydro Power Project (MHPP). Due to his keen interest in developing geo-information products, Gumbi championed the establishment of the Malawi Spatial Data Portal and the formation of the Open Street Map Team in Malawi (OSM Malawi). Gumbi's experience working with the Department of Surveys makes him better placed to handle land issues and the importance attached to the accuracy of cadastral boundaries.

Mauritius

Dayawatee Goburdhun (MSc Food Science 1991)

Dayawatee is an Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius who has consistently progressed throughout her career and is now involved in both national and international activities. She is proud to be able to contribute to capacity building and empowerment for one and all.

Mozambique

Arie Claassens (MSc GIS 2016)

Arie is Country Representative at iMMAP Inc. He had an Information Management Technical Advisor role, supporting the Iraq and Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s governments with their humanitarian mine action programme. Then he became the Country Representative in Nigeria, supporting the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria before starting up a humanitarian support programme in Mozambique. He says his Leeds degree opened up this career path, allowing him to help develop local capacities in countries with humanitarian crises.

Namibia

Hage Geingob (PhD Politics 2004)

Hage served as the third President of Namibia from 2015 until his recent death in February 2024.

Nigeria

Adanna Egwuatu (MA Global Development and Africa 2011)

Adanna is the Executive Director of the Photizo Life Foundation and Founder of the African Hair Summit and Afro Hair Culture Festival.

Fauzia Okediji (MSc Engineering, Technology and Business Management 2015)

Fauzia is a DRE and Utility Innovation Specialist at Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). GEAPP is an organization built on philanthropy – set up by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund – on a mission to unlock green energy and accelerate an equitable energy transition for people and the planet. Fauzia focusses on developing pathways to provide access to reliable clean power, reducing CO2 emissions and creating jobs to drive inclusive economic growth and a just energy transition in low and middle income countries. She has pioneered an approach for utilities to partner with private developers to develop utility/grid-connected distributed renewables projects across un-served/under-served communities in Nigeria. This has been instrumental in unlocking millions of dollars of capital from the private sector, multilateral development banks and institutions.

She also volunteers in activities that promote the participation of women in the energy industry, including providing mentorship and career advice to young women and those seeking to transition to the energy/climate sectors.

Ashiru Abubakar (MA Health Management Planning and Policy 2017)

Ashiru is a Program Manager, Primary Health Care Financing and Health Systems Strengthening at Clinton Health Access Initiative. In the 7 years since graduation from University of Leeds, Ashiru has had four promotions from an Analyst to a Program Manager. Ashiru says that studying in Leeds prepared him to take on more challenging leadership roles in the health industry. Presently, he is preparing to resume a national role to health the Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health deliver on the much celebrated Health Sector Renewal Initiative.      

Adeteju Egbedina (Environmental Engineering and Project Management  2012)

Adetuju is an Assistant Chief Scientific Officer at the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, collaborating with stakeholders to design and implement sustainable practices and Science, Technology and Innovation policies. Adeteju also conducts Technology Needs Assessment in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, Implements projects and sustainable practices aimed at reducing environmental impacts in the case of climate change, methanol cookstove technology, etc. and creates awareness of waste management and flagship of waste to wealth programmes. 

Seychelles

Aamir Chaka (MEng Civil Engineering 2023)

Aamir is a Civil and Structural Engineer at the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency. Transitioning into the role of a civil and structural engineer with the Seychelles Government Infrastructure Agency in February 2024 marked a significant step forward in Aamir’s career. Aamir is currently assigned to the education sector of the Agency, with a focus on the maintenance and construction of educational infrastructure throughout the country.

Aamir is working on the development of a new school building designed to accommodate the growing needs of primary education. This involves comprehensive structural analysis and design, ensuring compliance with local building codes and standards. Collaborating with architects, contractors, and other stakeholders, Aamir oversees the the project from conceptualization to completion. Key responsibilities include conducting site assessments, developing detailed engineering plans and overseeing construction activities to ensure quality and safety standards are met. Additionally, Aamir liaises with government officials and educational authorities.

South Africa

David Mercer (BEng Fuel & Energy Engineering 1991)

David is a Principal Energy Consultant at SLR Consulting (Africa) Limited. He has notched up more than 30 years of experience in energy and carbon consulting, primarily in the Industrial, Commercial and Financial sectors. Clients have ranged from SMEs to large multi-national organisations, including many household names. He’s lead pioneering strategic work for several international clients, including large-scale energy and greenhouse gas management projects, as well as advising on governmental policy.

In the early 2000's David was instrumental in drafting the first Energy Efficiency Strategy for the Republic of South Africa, on behalf of the (then) Department of Energy. He subsequently undertook State-of-Energy studies for a number of South African municipalities and developed the initial Energy Strategy for the city of Durban in 2007. Over the years David has gained in-country project experience in Western and Eastern Europe, Southern and Southeast Asia, as well as Western, Central and Southern Africa.

Dominique Saayman (MA Social History of Art 2023)

Dominique has recently started a role as a lecturer at EDUVOS. She believes that her undergraduate and postgraduate education each taught her valuable skills that she continues to use.

Sudan

Reel Nimir (MPH Public Health (International) 2017)

Reel is a Health and Nutrition Advisor with the CARE International Organization in Sudan.

Tanzania

Lucky Niko (MA International Relations 2017)

Lucky is the Founder and CEO of Miss Kesho, an ethical, minimalist fashion brand that designs women's clothing and accessories using local raw materials such as leather. The company’s aim is to pioneer ethical fashion in Tanzania through making African products with a global appeal and contributing towards building a viable fashion value chain.

Uganda

Desree Barlow (MA International Communications 2010)

Desree is Special Presidential Assistant to the President of Uganda.

Nathan Kibwami (PhD Civil Engineering, Construction Project Management 2016)

Nathan as recently been promoted to a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Construction Economics and Management in the School of the Built Environment in the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology. His Leeds qualification and training has enabled me to head the department of Construction economics and management. He continued with his research in sustainability and is currently working on a Uganda Government grant-funded Research innovation project about profiling the carbon emissions associated with Clamp-kiln fired bricks in Uganda. He has been advocating for sustainability initiatives in the Ugandan construction industry. He was also appointed to be on the Standards Setting Committee for the International Measurement standards (ICMS) whose 3rd edition incorporates carbon metrics.

West and Central Africa

Haruna Abubakar (MSc Chemical Engineering 2011)

Haruna is a Program Instrumentation Manager, West and Central Africa, at Authentix Inc. As an authority in authentication solutions, Authentix brings enhanced visibility and traceability to complex global supply chains.

Zambia

Oliver Kaoma (International Public Health 2022)

Oliver is a Medical Doctor at the Ministry of Health. He is the Secretary General at the Zambia Medical Association, the official representative of the medical profession in Zambia. He is also the Facility Infection Prevention and Control Unit Lead, ensuring adherence to infection prevention standards in health facilities. This is part of the hospital quality of care assessment and improvement programme being implemented in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Zimbabwe

Laura Ganda (MA Arts Management and Heritage Studies 2020)

Laura is the Co-Founder, Principal Director, Curator, Researcher and Arts Manager at the Creative Lounge Trust. The Trust focusses on supporting creative and cultural industries in Zimbabwe. Her work on exhibitions, curatorial research and workshops in visual culture has led to the development of sustainable artistic practices. Through her projects, she aims to inspire and empower contemporary art spaces, artists and professionals to promote the value and potential of the arts and culture sector as a driver for social and economic transformation.

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