From October 28th to November 3rd, the Heinrich Boell Foundation will host eight Sub-Sahara Africa participants for an Adaptation Finance Visiting Program in Washington, DC.
Bios:
Mr. Hassan Ahmed Abdel Ati Salih
Secretary General of National Civic Forum, Sudan
Mr. Hassan Ahmed Abdel Ati Salih is a former professor of Development Studies at the University of Khartoum. He is director of EDGE for Consultancy & Research, a civil society activist and coordinator of the National Civic Forum, a platform for political dialogue and peace. The National Civic Forum (NCF) is a platform for dialogue on contemporary issues in Sudan, initially formed in 2002 with the support of Heinrich Boll Foundation, Horn of Africa Regional Office (Nairobi).
Mr. Tigere Chagutah
Heinrich Böll Foundation, Programme Manager of Climate Governance in Africa Programme, South Africa
Mr. Tigere Chagutah is programme manager of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Climate Governance in Africa programme (CGA). The programme is delivered by the Foundation’s four regional/country offices in Africa in close collaboration with the HBF North America office in Washington DC and the Africa department at the Foundation’s Headquarters in Berlin, Germany. Mr Chagutah, a native of Zimbabwe, is also a PhD Candidate in the School of Communication Studies at North-West University (NWU), in South Africa, and a research affiliate of the African Centre for Disaster Studies also at NWU. His PhD research aims to propose a conceptual framework for participatory disaster risk communication interventions in informally settled communities affected by recurrent flooding, fire and disease outbreaks in South Africa. He has published widely on, international climate policy,
vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, climate change and security and disaster risk communication.
Mr. Bougonou K. Djeri-Alassani
Principal Programme Officer in the Policies and Regulations Environment Directorate, ECOWAS, Togo
Mr. Bougonou K. Djeri-Alassani is an environmental law and environment management specialist. Since July 2008, he has served as head of the Division of Environmental Policies and Regulations in the Environment Directorate within the Department in charge of Agriculture Environment and Water Resources of the Economic Community of West Africans States (ECOWAS) Commission. Before he joined ECOWAS, Mr. Djeri-Alassani spent eighteen years in the Ministry in charge of the environment of the Republic of Togo where he occupied several positions.
Ms. Aina-Maria Iteta
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Namibia
Ms. Aina-Maria Iteta is an agricultural economist in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, in the government of Namibia where she has been working for the past three years. Before this appointment Ms Iteta worked as a teacher, statistician and economist, respectively. In her current role she was part of the national team that formulated the Climate Change Investment and Financial Flow Assessment document for Namibia focusing mainly on adaptation and mitigation issues in the agriculture and energy sectors. Ms Iteta also deals with food security issues and policy within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. Ms Iteta graduated with a BSc in Agricultural Economics (University of Namibia) and is currently pursuing a Master of International Business degree with the Polytechnic of Namibia.
Mr. Georges Alexandre Lenferna
Fulbright Scholar and former Mandela Rhodes Scholar, South Africa
Mr. Georges Alexandre Lenferna is a South African former Mandela Rhodes Scholar and now Fulbright Scholar pursuing his PhD at the University of Kansas. As part of his PhD he is also a research associate at the IGERT CCHANGE Inter-Disciplinary Climate Change Research Unit. The focus of his research is on providing an analysis of issues of climate change, poverty and inequality in relation to questions of ethics and justice. Mr Lenferna has written a number of articles for public fora and the media on issues of climate change and sustainable development. His articles have been published in newspapers across South Africa, and online in publications such as Think Africa Press and the Critical Thought section of the Mail & Guardian which enjoys wide readership in Southern Africa. Apart from using formal media channels to communicate climate change issues, he also utilizes social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter through which he engages and connects to youth across Africa on issues of climate change and sustainable development.
Mr. Stephen Mutua King’uyu
National Climate Change Action Plan Coordinator, in the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Kenya
Mr. Stephen Mutua King’uyu is currently working as a climate scientist and coordinator on the National Climate Change Action Plan in the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources in Kenya. He is a Steering Committee member of the LEDS Global Partnership and resource person for the World Bank Institute (WBI) Regional Climate Change Training events. Mr. Stephen Mutua King’uyu holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Nairobi.
Mrs. Comfort Adebisi Owolabi
Deputy Director in the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria
Mrs. Comfort Adebisi Owolabi is currently serving as the Deputy Director in the Department of Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment in Nigeria. From the time of her appointment in 1978 by the Federal Civil Service Commission of Nigeria as Scientific officer until now, she has served in various positions and acquired relevant capacities and competencies in environmental management through training and hands-on field experience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (hons) in Zoology from the University of Ibadan Nigeria and a Master of Science degree with specialization in Environmental science from the American University Washington in D.C.
Mr. Carlos Alexandre Seventine
Executive Secretary of Mozambique`s Environmental Fund (FUNAB), Mozambique
Mr. Carlos Alexandre is an economist and serves as Executive Secretary of Mozambique`s Environmental Fund, FUNAB, a position he has held since October 2003. In this role, he is responsible for the management of all financial, human and material resources, project appraisal and application of funds at FUNAB. Mr Seventine is a regular observer at RedLAC – Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds. He is also Assistant University Professor for Business Administration at ISCTEM (Instituto Superior de Ciências e Tecnologias de Mozambique) in Maputo, Mozambique, where he focuses on analysis and management of investment projects. He has also carried out various consultancies for the private sector in areas such as strategic planning, financial management and research methods.