The Nigeria Energy Forum NEF group, has shortlisted 11 students’
Across Africa, the key energy challenge is how to electrify millions of households, communities, and businesses as quickly as possible.
Across Africa, the key energy challenge is how to electrify millions of households, communities, and businesses as quickly as possible. The 8th Nigeria Energy Forum 2023 (NEF2023) will focus on safer, cleaner, and sustainable energy services for all, through a capacity building, training, and development program for policymakers, business leaders, energy innovators, professional engineers, industry experts, and academics in Nigeria and other African countries. The 8th NEF2022 will be a hybrid event to be held on Tuesday 18th July at Zone Conference Centre, Gbagada, Lagos and Thursday 23rd November on Zoom with the theme ‘Maximizing Energy Transition for Economic Growth.
Physical in Lagos, Nigeria
Virtual Online via Zoom
Addressing energy access challenges: a crucial global development priority
Building technical capacity: key to fostering innovation and progress.
Promoting energy innovation and investments: driving sustainable growth and development
Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Nigeria.
Will Stevens is the Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria. Prior to arriving in Nigeria, Mr. Stevens served as the Acting Consul General in Cape Town South Africa, where he directed U.S. government engagement in South Africa’s three cape provinces, expanding trade and investment by 50% over two years and overseeing the U.S. government’s response to COVID-19 in the Cape. In 2014, he received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy, the State Department’s highest award for public diplomacy work, for his work leading the U.S. Government’s Interagency Task Force on countering Russian propaganda during the Ukraine crisis.
Mr. Stevens is an experienced Foreign Service Officer with overseas experience in South Africa, Russia, Turkmenistan, Israel, and Belarus, as well as experience in Washington at the Foreign Service Institute, the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Bureau of African Affairs. In the Bureau of African Affairs, Mr. Stevens was a Senior Advisor on countering violent extremism and also served as the Bureau Spokesperson, where he directed the public affairs planning and messaging for the 2014 U.S.-Africa Heads of State Summit, which brought together 50 African leaders in Washington for the first time. Mr. Stevens was the Director of the Foreign Service Institute’s Public Diplomacy (PD) Training Division from 2017-2019, where he oversaw the training of the State Department’s entire public affairs and public diplomacy corps. Mr. Stevens was the Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 2014-2016, where his team’s work was recognized in the Public Diplomacy Council’s annual “Ten Best” for the “Best Use of Social Media by an Embassy.” He has also served as Chief of Staff at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, chief of public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, and in the press and cultural affairs offices at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.
A native of Great Falls, Virginia, and a graduate of Brigham Young University, Mr. Stevens is married with five children. He is an avid football fan, basketball player, and bodyboarder.
Chantelle is Group Managing Director, MOJEC International
Chantelle Abdul is an international business executive, a serial entrepreneur and a consummate businesswoman, with over 15 years’ experience in originating, founding and operating hyper growth startups and budding companies across Africa, Asia, Europe & America- traversing a plethora of sectors, from Power & Energy to Agriculture, Mining, Real Estate and Hospitality.
Under her leadership, Mojec Int’l has grown from a small family owned business into a metering empire; evolving into a conglomerate and an undisputed market leader in the industry, with diversified interests in the power value chain, spanning across power generation to distribution, manufacturing, supply, financing & meter installation.
Mojec International (MI) is the largest manufacturer of water, gas and electricity meters in sub-Saharan Africa, with an installation capacity of up to 4M Meters annually and a nationwide footprint of 80% working with 9 out of the 11 distribution companies in Nigeria and West Africa. With almost 2M meters deployed, M3AC has the largest supply chain, technology, financing and installation network for smart electric, water and gas meters; as well the largest DER and renewable energy solutions provider in sub- Saharan Africa.
Additionally, Mojec has the largest installation network across the country, with a combined strength of over 5000 installers nationwide, being the largest nationwide deployment of AMI across the Country.
Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI)
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, is the Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the National Coordinator of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) implementation in Nigeria.
A natural resource governance expert, political economist, development Communications specialist, Orji with over three decades of extensive diverse experience in the public service, international development sector, the EITI, the media and communications industry. He also worked at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as National Consultant, coordinated several donor funded projects on governance and institutional reforms in Nigeria.
Orji holds a PhD in Political Economy and International Development from the University of Abuja. He is an alumnus of the J. F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, the International Law Institute, George Town University, Washington D.C, the World Bank Institute, the African Development Bank Institute, the GIZ Academy of International Development, Bad Honnef, Germany, Thomson Foundation Institute, Cardiff, Uk and the Lagos Business School. He sits on NEITI Board-the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG), a member of the Presidential Implementation Steering Committee on Petroleum Industry Act. He also sits on the National Steering Committee of Open Government Partnership.
Orji currently Chairs the EITI global Contract Transparency Network with members drawn from 20 countries.
Component Lead, Standalone Solar Home Systems (SHS) Nigeria Electrification Project, REA
Lande Abudu is the Component Lead for Standalone Solar Home Systems on the World Bank Nigeria Electrification Project being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency. Her prior role was as the CEO of Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), Africa’s foremost association of renewable energy professionals, project developers, and practitioners. Before that, she was heading market development for West Africa at a leading multinational company with a presence in twelve African countries, provider of solar home systems to off-grid communities.
Ms. Abudu is a European Energy Centre-accredited Renewable Energy Expert and a member of the EnergyCPD Renewable Energy Professionals.
Project Director, Eauxwell Nigeria Ltd
Kingsley is the Project Director of Eauxwell Nigeria Ltd and brings over 13 years of experience in the Energy sector, with a focus on Renewable Energy, capacity building, project management project governance framework and performance improvement. Prior to joining Eauxwell, Kingsley has held numerous positions and handled numerous projects in the areas of drilling engineering and project management in one of the world’s most reputable companies, Shell.
Kingsley brings exceptional project experience having worked in multiple projects and teams especially in the area project delivery and Project Performance.
He Led a diverse team to deliver 10 wells per year in hazardous terrain (Bonga field deep-water offshore) safely, and within schedule and budget ($400 million), accelerated total well on-stream date by 116 months, reduced upcoming project CAPEX by $2.8 billion and delivered of a $600 million drilling rig contract for Shell Nigeria, the first of its kind.
Kingsley has 2 degrees in Engineering and is currently a doctoral student at the SKEMA business School France with key focus on project best value approach.
Kingsley lives in Lagos, is married and has three kids.
Senior Director, Universal Energy Facility, SEforALL
Anita is currently a Senior Director at Sustainable Energy for All. She leads on the programme delivery of the Universal Energy Facility, a multi donor funded results-based financing facility for the development of renewable energy projects across Sub Saharan Africa, towards bridging the energy access and reliability gap, with a focus on productive use and sustainable impact on lives and businesses.
Prior to joining SEforALL, Anita was the head of the Project Management Unit of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), with a $550 Million facility jointly funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank. ~$120 million was leveraged in private capital, over 1 million connections were achieved, impacting over 5 million residents, MSMEs and 26 healthcare facilities. She was also the project coordinator of the Energizing Education Programme, which led to 7 tertiary educational institutions being energized.
She has experience working with senior government officials, having worked as a member of the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice President of the F.R of Nigeria and a Technical Assistant (Legal) to a Minister of Power.
Anita is a member of the; knowledge network of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN-OSAA), Technical Advisory Group of the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and recently a member of the Advisory Board of the Africa Mini-Grid Acceleration Programme (AMAP) under Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) at the African Development Bank.
Founder/CEO of A4&T Power Solutions.
Mr. Ayo Ademilua is the President of the foremost Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN). He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration specializing in Finance and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Ayo is an alumnus of Stanford Business School: SEED Transformation Program, Lagos Business School (EDC), OXFAM Business Development Program, and a board member of the esteemed Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA).
He has over Twenty – Six years of working/entrepreneurial experience starting in the Finance industry, where he worked in various banks within Nigeria including Guaranty Trust Bank before proceeding to pursue his entrepreneurial endeavour. He is currently the Founder/CEO of A4&T Power Solutions.
He possesses astute business analysis skills with leadership intuition synonymous with excellence and growth. He acquired requisite skills for renewable energy business from training and conferences locally and internationally. He is a member of the Sustainability Committee of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) consulting on matters relating to renewable energy generation and low carbon emissions.
Ayo is a bridge builder with excellent Strategy, Business and people management skills. He is committed to fostering synergy amongst REAN members and all stakeholders in the Clean energy space.
Managing Director, Energy Training Centre
Ibiene Okeleke is the Managing Director of Energy Training Centre ETC a capacity-building and business advisory organization delivering bespoke learning solutions, workforce management, and consulting services for the Energy and Manufacturing sectors.
Before becoming MD of ETC, Ibiene was the Chief Human Resources and Administrative Officer of Ikeja Electric, a role she took on after the privatization of the Power sector in 2013 and was pivotal in positioning Ikeja Electric as the leading Power Distribution Company in Nigeria. Prior to this, she was the Group Head of Human Resources at the Sahara Group and has held other key leadership roles in the financial services and technology sectors.
She holds an Advanced Human Resources Executive Degree from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, a Master Degree from IESE Business School, University of Navarra Spain and obtained a Bachelor’ degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the University of Lagos. She has also completed a Strategic Human Resource Training course at Harvard Business School and she is a certified Prince 2 Practitioner.
Ibiene Okeleke brings on board thirty years of corporate experience in Human Resources Retail Banking and Executive leadership. She is also an Executive Coach and is passionate about people development, continuous learning, youth empowerment and career development programs.
Ibiene is creatively inspiring with a positive attitude; she is a strong communicator, has a fantastic sense of humor and believes in teamwork. She encourages and inspires her team to strive for higher productivity in the workplace.
She also serves on the Boards of the Women in Energy Network and SheCan Nigeria, she is also a member of the Institute of Directors Nigeria. Ibiene resides in Lagos Nigeria and is a mother and a wife.
Chief Executive Officer, Zigma
Funmi is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zigma Limited. She holds an MSc. in Organisational
Change & Development from the University of Manchester, and a BSc. in Sociology from the University of Lagos.
Funmi has taken what began as an oil & gas service company to become an integrated oil & gas company positioned to
maximize the current commercial and regulatory environment, operate in a lean and mean manner and extract value
from every available opportunity.
Prior to working at Zigma, Funmi worked with start-up phase 3 Exploration & Production companies –Abacan
Resources Inc (Technical Partner to Alfred James Petroleum, Amni Petroleum and Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum), Canadian
Occidental Petroleum (Nexen Petroleum), Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company. She held various roles in
Admin, Finance, Economics & Planning, New Ventures, Procurement and HR.
Funmi’s experience has also included, Human Resources Director at British American Tobacco, and senior HR positions
in multi-national companies such as Mercer Mergers and Acquisition in the United Kingdom. At Jake Riley, she led several public sector reform projects and has nurtured close relationships and an understanding of the Oil & Gas regulatory framework having been involved in the Oil & Gas Policy review efforts.
Managing Partner, Detail Commercial Solicitors
Dolapo is the Managing Partner at Detail Commercial Solicitors and leads the firm’s Energy, Infrastructure and Power Practice and has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of complex transactions. Her professional experience spans across Energy (Power, Gas and Renewables), Project development, Project Finance, Infrastructure development and finance, Corporate Commercial transactions, and Mergers and Acquisitions. She is one of the leading energy lawyers in Nigeria having worked for government agencies, regulators, and private parties, institutional investors, and financing institutions.
Dolapo combines her strong legal background and industry knowledge to add value to each transaction and her attention to the intricacies of every brief sets her apart as a pillar of support to clients.
Dolapo is also an avid speaker and thought leader and is passionate about encouraging the advancement of women in professional and business circles and increasing energy access in Nigeria and across Africa by leveraging private finance with the use of viable business and project models.
Dolapo enjoys expressions of music, traveling for leisure, and playing amateur golf.
Senior Vice President and Head of Power, Africa Finance Corporation
Mr. Eluma Obibuaku has over twenty years of accomplished public and private sector advisory and investment experience working with a variety of financing entities and infrastructure firms—primary in the United States and more recently in Nigeria. Within the power generation space, Eluma has been involved in fund raising for more than 3,000MW. More recently he has worked with a pioneer power project developer to establish a Greenfield IPP. Currently, Eluma is a Snr. Vice President, Power with AFC’s Investments Division, where he originates projects in various countries in Africa. Over the span of his career, Eluma has worked at the United States General Accounting Office; Pacific Gas and Electric Co.; and the International Finance Corporation.
Eluma holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He seats on the Board of several private companies.
Group Head, External Affairs & Government Relations, Waltersmith
Eriye Onagoruwa is a multi-hyphenate energy professional.
She is skilled in gas and power multi-party contract negotiations and has proven commercial acumen in concluding complex gas and power projects. In 2019, she transitioned her career from major oil and gas commercial transactions to sustainability, stakeholder management, and brand management. She is currently the Group Head External Affairs and Government Relations Manager for Waltersmith.
When Eriye is not negotiating energy deals or impacting lives through corporate social responsibility initiatives, she writes fiction, trains women on financial literacy and investments and contributes opinion editorials to leading publications in Nigeria and beyond.
Her first novel, Dear Alaere, published by Paperworth Books in 2020, is a captivating tale about a woman’s quest for the much-elusive work-life balance and societal acceptance in Nigeria’s commercial epic entre, Lagos.
Eriye is driven by impacting her community through service to humanity.
Innovative, Sustainable, Strategic, Visionary, Collaborative, Committed, Impactful, Resourceful, Global, and Influential.
The Nigeria Energy Forum NEF group, has shortlisted 11 students’
Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, says the
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said the Federal
NEF2023 promises to be as educating, informative, and engaging as ever!!!