Africa Week - Day two

Our alumni stars in Africa

Thank you to all our fabulous alumni in, or from, Africa who sent us your news. We heard from so many of you that we shared stories on these pages throughout Africa Week. Here's our second group of alumni representing Leeds in countries across Africa.

Angola

Alicio Garcia (Mechanical Engineering 2018)

Alicio is a FD&P Project Engineer and Mechanical Engineer at Angola LNG, a company that processes liquified natural gas.

Botswana

Leano Kotlhao (Geophysics 1999)

Leano is a Consulting Geophysicist for The Stone (Pty) Limited.

Rebecca Klein (Zoology 1995)

Rebecca Klein is Managing Director at Cheetah Conservation Botswana. Listen to Rebecca speaking about her work on the Leeds alumni podcast.

Egypt

Mohamed Owais Shalaby (MBA 2017)

Mohamed is a Senior Financial Advisor at Pathfinder with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). His career in finance and investment spans 17 years. Highlights include launching the first Real Estate Trust Fund (REIT) in Egypt and holding several top-level positions in the finance industry. Mohamed is a lecturer of Economics and Finance at both public and private universities in Egypt. Mohamed is a British Council Study UK Alumni Award, Business and Innovation finalist. Find out more about Mohamed Owais Shalaby

Mohamed Kamal (MSc Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering 2019)

Mohamed is an Executive Director at Greenish, a non-profit organisation dedicated to environmental advocacy, awareness and climate engagement, with a focus on representing local communities across Egypt. Since late 2019, Mohamed has been working in the environmental and climate sector in Egypt and the region, mainly as a consultant, activist and advocate. He worked as a consultant on environmental consulting projects in Egypt, Tanzania, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Uganda.

Mohamed is a British Council Study UK Alumni Award, Science and Sustainability finalist. Read more about Mohamed Kamal

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Ethiopia

Melaku Zengeta (Law and Social Justice 2023)

As Head of the Disability Inclusion Advisory Unit at Light for the World International, Melaku is leading a team of disability inclusion advisors to spearhead the technical assistance work of the organisation.

Ghana

Abdul-Latif Tanko Iddrisu (MA HMPP 2011)

Abdul is the Deputy Director, Administration, at Tamale Teaching Hospital. He supervises and mentors more than 50 middle level managers of health administration in a tertiary healthcare facility and reports to the Director of Administration. Amongst other tasks, he provides advice on strategies for achieving health sector goals and supports the implementation of health policies and programmes.

Benedicta Aggrey (MSc International Marketing 2018)

Benedicta is the Principal Operations Officer at the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority. Bendicta investigates accidents, damages, thefts and claims at the Port and prepares reports with appropriate recommendations for the attention of management for necessary action.

Nana Boatemaa Sem-Danso (Corporate Communications, Marketing & Public Relations 2020)

Nana Boatemaa is a Digital Communications Manager at Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and is responsible for all its online platforms to enhance communications. Nana Boatemaa also leads the social media content team to develop engaging content that is relevant to their audience.     

Horn of Africa region

Alison Blackburne (French 1987)

Alison has recently been appointed the UK’s Special Envoy for the Red Sea and Horn of Africa. The Special Envoy engages with those involved on both shores of the Red Sea and beyond. She will lead the UK response to international activity in the Horn of Africa region, engaging with key actors and tackling a range of issues, from humanitarian crises to trade, investment and regional security. Alison was the British Ambassador to South Sudan from April 2017 to May 2019, and before that she was British High Commissioner to Uganda from August 2012 to November 2016.

Kenya

Biswanath Das (Applied Biology and Management Studies 2000)

Biswanath is a Senior Scientist, Plant Breeding, at CGIAR, the world's largest publicly funded agricultural research network. Biswanath coordinates the effort on building plant breeding capacity with national agricultural research organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Olivia Ambani (Communications and New Media 2006, MA Design 2007)

Olivia is a singer songwriter who won the Cafe Ngoma Award for songwriter of the year in 2022. She was also nominated for two All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) - Songwriter of the Year in Africa and Best Inspirational Female Artist in 2019. Olivia released her debut album The Awakening in 2020, has released an EP called Take A Chance, charted on several charts around the world and was played on BBC Radio. Her song Falling Star was featured in the movie Just In Time, which is on Netflix.   

Erick Keter (MSc Food Science 2014)

Erick is Production Manager at the Nairobi site of Diageo-Kenya Breweries Limited. He has devised, evaluated, and implemented continuous process improvements to minimise waste and reduce costs while maximising quality and yield. He has also established quality control and safety programmes.

Brigids Maangi (LLM International Trade Law 2022)

Brigids is a Legal Assistant at Maangi & Associates Advocates.

Evans Maithya (MS Environmental Engineering and Project Management 2023)

As a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Construction Project Officer at World Vision Kenya, Evans implements WASH and construction projects to serve vulnerable communities, with a big focus on children.

Malawi

Mwai H. Chitete (MA Development Studies 2008)

As Country Director for Heifer International, Mwai expanded the reach and impact of Heifer by securing significant grants or partnerships, leading to the establishment of new programmes or initiatives. Currently, Heifer is supporting more than 50,000 farming families across eight districts of operations.

Mauritius

Hema Teeluck-Lareine (MA Education 2024)

Hema is a Principal Examinations Officer at the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. Hema joined the Syndicate as Examinations Officer after graduating from Leeds and gradually moved up the ladder as Senior Examinations Officer. Hema has been the head of several examinations sections at the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate and worked in collaboration with other examination bodies such as Cambridge International.

Morocco

Ahmed Bakouch (TESOL 2020)

Since graduation, Ahmed has been promoted to teach English at post-K12 at the Ministry of National Education. He has also been appointed to train teachers of English to take the Cambridge-TKT (Teacher's Knowledge Test) and to coordinate the Cambridge Assessment Qualification in his region.

Namibia

Alisa Amupolo (MA International Communications 2008)

Alisa is the Chief Executive Officer at Namib Desert Diamonds, a marketing and sales company creating a sustainable route for Namibia's highly sought-after diamonds. On behalf of the government, she is currently at the helm of sales and marketing for ethically sourced and sustainably recovered rough diamonds of Namibian origin. Namib Desert Diamonds is a direct window into the global diamond value chain.

Nigeria

Ifechi Nwachukwu (MSc International Business 2012)

A School Proprietor of OliveHall Preparatory School, Ifechi has been immersed in tutoring young children from 6 months to 11 years, championing the pivotal role education plays in shaping individuals and fostering community development. In Nigeria, like many other African nations where disparities persist and access to quality education remains a challenge for many, she addressed the issues by establishing OliveHall Preparatory School.

Recognizing the need for policies and initiatives that prioritise educational excellence, her work includes advocating for improved infrastructure and resources in schools, mentorship initiatives, partnerships with local stakeholders, and community engagement programmes that provide people access to better learning. As a mother of a set of quadruplets plus one, she understands the impact that early childhood education plays in the formation of adults.

Rimamnyang Bitrus (MSc Environmental Engineering and Project Management 2020)

Rimamnyang is a procurement consultant for a project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).         

Olatayo Michael Ogunbanwo (PhD Geography - Physical 2019)

Olatayo is the Dean of the College of Agriculture at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology. After completing his PhD, he has also been Head of Department, Fisheries and Aquaculture and Assistant Director, Centre for Entrepreneurial and Skill Acquisition (CESA).                          

Opeolu Akinola (MA Disability Studies 2020)

Opeolo is the Chief Executive Officer of the Accesstech Innovation and Research Center and an assistive technology consultant with more than 20 years of experience. He provides technology and skills with which people with disability learn, work and participate equally in the community. He designed the first computer training curriculum which is still being used for teaching ICT skills to blind people across Nigeria. He helps formulate policies and provides guidance on how to apply Universal Design in the physical environment and digital platforms so that people of all abilities can access them independently.

His company's Assistive Technology Experience Centre supports visually impaired people with training and guidance on different assistive products. As a consultant, Opeolu has set up accessible library units in three Nigerian universities, with training of library staff and blind students in using the computer-based equipment, facilitating employability workshops for newly graduated blind students on the MTNF Scholarship project and training blind workers at First Bank PLC and FC.

North Africa region

Nick Cherkas (English and Russian 2003)                  

As an Area Coordinator at Oxford University Press, Nick represents the company in North Africa. He supports Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria in education reform and helping schools, teachers and students achieve their goals in English.

Seychelles

Caroline Abel (Economics Studies 1999)

Caroline is the Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles. Read more about Caroline Abel

South Africa

Joseph Byamugisha (MA Accounting and Finance 2023)

Joseph is a Financial Management Specialist at the African Development Bank. His job involves working with client governments that receive concessional financing from the African Development Bank. He has worked in multilateral development banking for 14 years after 10 years in an external audit and advisory firm.

Keith Simmons (BSc Applied Mineral Sciences 1973)

Keith was a Senior Works Metallurgist at SCAW Metals. He worked in in the steel industry in South Africa until his retirement in 2011.

South Sudan

Clementina Omuho (LLM International Human Rights Law 2022)

Clementina is a Child Protection (CP) Officer with Committed to Good. As CP Officer she supports UNICEF funded partners and projects in the areas of gender-based violence (GBV) and justice for children as well as in cluster coordination for NGOs involved in child protection. For GBV partners, she oversees implementation of the Communities Care programme that seeks to address harmful social norms contributing to sexual violence against women and girls. Clementina works with government counterparts to develop a framework for diversion for children in conflict with law.         

South Sudan and Kenya

Justus Juma (Civil Engineering with Construction Management 2013)

Justus is a Projects Engineer at the Gogni Rajope Construction Company in Kenya and South Sudan. Justus was appointed as the lead project engineer for a road construction project in South Sudan, specifically the Rehabilitation and spot gravelling of Bor – Kolmerek – Mabior - Ayod Road, Jonglei State, South Sudan - Lot 2 (37km) financed by the World Food Programme.

Justus oversees the entire project lifecycle, from planning and design to execution and completion. He works closely with a multidisciplinary team to ensure that the road construction project meets all technical specifications, quality standards and regulatory requirements. 

Uganda

Eng. Jacob Byamukama (MScEng Transport Planning and Engineering 2004)

Jacob is Deputy Director ,Transport and Traffic Management for the Kampala Capital City Authority. He is Project Coordinator of the Kampala City Roads Rehabilitation Project.

Matthew Arikosi Otim (MSc International Construction Management and Engineering 2022)

As the Technical Support and Advisory Manager for the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL), Matthew provides executive support in UEGCL's operations and project management.

Zambia

Munshya Zimba (MSc Geochemistry 2012)

Munshya is a Principal Geologist at First Quantum Minerals Limited.

Zimbabwe

Nicola Burmeister (MSc Climate Change and Environmental Policy 2019)

Nicola is a Climate Change Research Analyst. After returning home to Zimbabwe she became an independent environmental and climate change consultant working with private companies, embassies, NGOs and research organisations on environmental projects across Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.  

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