Meet our team

Ellen is based in Kenya and, before joining the African Climate Foundation, oversaw the extractives and nuclear energy portfolios at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa. She has been working on questions of sustainable economic development for the past ten years and has a keen interest in geopolitics, political economy and gender issues. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Cape Town, an LLB from the University of South Africa, a Bachelor of Commerce Honour’s degree and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Through his role, Zira supports climate policy implementation at the Nigerian Ministry of Environment and the government’s Energy Transition Office. He previously worked at Quadrature Climate Foundation where he managed their energy transition portfolio, covering decarbonisation and clean energy deployment in 51 countries. In Zira’s recent role at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, he led in-country research and drove the uptake of extractive sector data in Nigeria. He holds an MPhil in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge, MSc in Applied Economics from Colorado School of Mines, and a BSc in Information Systems from Girne American University.

Lamine is based in Senegal and has more than 20 years’ experience implementing projects in West Africa, including 12 years as an M&E Manager. Previously, Lamine was the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager in Ghana for a sub-regional project, West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change supporting ECOWAS, the Abidjan Convention and more. He conducted a baseline review of policies on coastal and marine related issues under the intervention of the West Africa Coastal Area Resilience Infrastructure Project, which was led by the World Bank. Lamine holds a Specialised Graduate Diploma (DESS) in Regional Planning, Decentralisation and Local Development, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Infrastructure Management.

Geeta has seven years’ experience in the climate and just transition space in South Africa. She spent five years at the National Business Initiative (NBI) where she worked on building business capacity for climate and just transition ambition and collective action together with government and other stakeholders. While Geeta still provides project management and research support to the NBI, at the African Climate Foundation she leads the South Africa just energy transition programme, including managing a portfolio of grantees and providing support to its fiscal sponsorship entities housed within the office of the Presidency. Geeta has her MPhil degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Stellenbosch.

Sahele was a senior power engineer at the African Development Bank (AfDB) Ethiopian Country Office, where he managed the energy portfolio for projects in Ethiopia. He also worked on the structuring of energy projects and results-based operations and provided technical support on policy in the energy sector and other areas relevant to energy, environment and climate change.

Sahele was previously the director for Energy Study and Development  at the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia. He also served at the Ethiopian Electricity Agency as head of the Department of Electrical Works Control. Sahele started his career as a distribution engineer at the national electricity utility, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation. He holds an MSc degree in Electric Power Engineering.

Japheth is a high impact Leadership, Development and Governance Professional with a solid track record in Strategic Leadership and Management, Social Entrepreneurship as well as implementing multi-million dollar programs.  He has extensive experience in Regenerative Agriculture, Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change as well Disaster Risk Management programs.  Japheth holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Strategic Management, coupled with 17+ years’ experience managing projects and programs in various thematic areas.

Elizabeth has pursued qualifications in Geography and Environmental Studies. She has more than 10 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation in climate change, mitigation and adaptation, having worked in various sectors including renewable energy, climate smart agriculture and water management to name a few.

Francis joined the African Climate Foundation in 2020 and worked closely with Saliem Fakir as his Executive Assistant, where she gained significant experience in the energy transition sector. In her current role she focuses mainly on South Africa’s just energy transition. Francis is based in Cape Town and holds a BSc in Environmental and Geographical Sciences from the University of Cape Town and a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute at Stellenbosch University.

Willard has over three years of conducting public policy research and advocacy initiatives. Prior to joining the ACF, he worked as a policy analyst and associate researcher at the Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) in Lusaka. Willard has also previously worked as a research assistant to Carlos Lopes. Willard’s interests lie in climate policy, green finance, industrialisation, political economy, and sustainable development.

Willard is a Master of Development Economics and International Development graduate from the University of Cape Town, a 2018 Mandela Rhodes scholar. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Development Studies from the University of Zambia. Willard is a former president of the University of Zambia Business and Economics Association.

Zahra is an energy transition specialist championing equal access to energy. With over five years of experience developing utility-scale solar power projects and collaborating with high-level government officials to advance their energy transition goals. Zahra is simultaneously completing a Masters of Climate Change at the University of Waterloo, Canada, specialising in increasing energy security through innovative policy and financing strategies to attract renewable investments in the Global South.

Malik gained experience in South Africa’s biodiversity sector having worked with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on their Natural Capital Accounting and Ecological Infrastructure programmes. He is an activist on social and environmental justice initiatives. He has a keen interest in sustainable forms of agriculture practiced across Africa to better understand how the sector can reduce its contribution to biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. Malik graduated with his Master of Science degree in International Land and Water Management from Wageningen University and Research, specialising in Soil Physics and Sustainable Land Management.

Fanuel is an ardent proponent of sustainable natural resources management, environmental policies, climate change mitigation, community-based conservation, and wildlife management. With a solid foundation in law, he is dedicated to implementing innovative and impactful solutions in these fields. Notably, Fanuel spearheaded transformative programmes aimed at restoring a vital wildlife corridor between the Saadani National Park and Wami Mbiki Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania, showcasing his exceptional leadership and expertise.

Fanuel is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University and a Mandela Washington Fellow for Appalachian State University in the USA.

Iva joined the team in 2023 and focuses on developing country-led investment platforms to mobilise funding at scale for climate adaptation and resilience measures. She has a Master of Science-MS, PPE focused in Development Economics from the Birkbeck, University of London.

Lesego is an international development practitioner with over five years experience in trade facilitation and economic development projects within Africa. She is adept at programme coordination and management of international donor funded projects within Southern Africa and has a keen interest in public policy and international affairs.

Baba has a PhD in Climate Change and Education and is a results-driven Researcher with expertise in climate change management and sustainability.  He has a solid track record of developing innovative solutions to mitigate environmental challenges and drive sustainable development.  His key skills are Climate Change Science and Policy, Environmental Impact Assessment, Sustainability Reporting and Metrics, Data Analysis and Visualization, and Policy Analysis and Advocacy.

Iyanuoluwa is a passionate conservation educationalist and is known for her community services and outreach to interior communities. Iyanuoluwa has recently completed her Masters in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge.

Bridget has an impressive background in monitoring and evaluation, public health, governance, and human rights.  With 8 years of experience and qualifications in Public Health, Monitoring , Evaluation and Learning, Quantitative Data Analysis, and Population Studies, she has a keen desire to leverage her expertise to contribute to impactful programs that drive sustainable development.   Her particular interests are climate change, gender equality, health, biodiversity, social inclusion, and community development, and promotes the use of data-driven insights for informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Godrej’s experience stems from the FMCG, mining, chemical and agricultural sectors. Previously, Godrej worked at two agricultural start-ups focusing on sustainable business and manufacturing development in the cannabis sector. He also collaborated with the Reinventing Cities initiative during his time at C40 Cities where his focus was the analysis of various carbon neutral or negative projects centred around the 15-minute city concept. He has expertise and interest in process carbon modelling, process optimisation, data modelling and financial projection and expense analysis. Godrej holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Cape Town, specialising in Life Cycle Analysis, Industrial Ecology, Catalysis and Biotechnology.

Oluwole (Wole)is based in Nigeria and is a sustainability and development professional with experience in research, climate adaptation, and community engagement. He has an interest in implementing solutions that promote development and sustainability in Africa. Wole previously worked at Clean Technology Hub, where he was responsible for research, project management, and strategic partnerships of their environment and climate portfolio. He holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Communities from Ben Gurion University.

A highly experienced Programmes Administrator, Cathrine holds a degree in Business Administration and brings over a decade of expertise in supporting initiatives focused on climate change, capacity building, and peacebuilding. She excels in executive support, team coordination, and donor reporting, consistently delivering top-tier administrative services in fast-paced, purpose-driven environments.