EWFC Nexus Summit – Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Sierra Leone
Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Sierra Leone supervises the Environmental Protection Agency – Sierra Leone; Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority; Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency; National Protected Area Authority and Conservation Trust Fund; and Forestry and Wildlife Division. The Minister is leading the agencies and departments under his supervision to address environmental, forestry, conservation and climate change issues in the country through the development and supervision of appropriate policies and laws aimed at building a climate resilient environment that will support sustainable development and growth of the country. Minister Abdulai was the Co-Head of Professional Services at Broadway Technology, a leading provider of electronic trading solutions for interest rate and inflation markets worldwide, where he led a global team of Engagement Leads and Consultants to deploy and integrate enterprise electronic trading platforms for Macro- economic Desks at Global Investment Banks, for over a decade.
Mr. Abdulai served as a Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Government of Sierra 50 Agencies to design and roll out major government policies. He also helped coordinate the country’s Economic Response Program for COVID-19. Mr. Abdulai started his career in international finance as a Quantitative Strategist modelling financial instruments for Interest Rate Products, Money Markets and Structured Funding Desks at Goldman Sachs International, in London, where he served till 2008. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Abdulai was at the forefront of innovation in Sierra Leone’s finance and financial technology space. He helped launch the country’s first mutual fund and managed the operations of Splash Mobile Money, the country’s first mobile payments platform. Mr. Abdulai holds a Master of Science in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.
Keynote Speaker: Adebisi Adeoti, Head Sustainability & Strategy, Africa and Country leader, Western Africa, DOW
Adebisi is a seasoned Nigerian professional with over 15 years of diverse functional experiences, and enthusiastic about driving strategic initiatives and sustainability efforts across Africa. As the Africa Head of Strategy & ustainability, at the Dow Chemical Company, Adebisi set the direction for Dow’s organization’s growth and impact on the continent.
Adebisi is an alumnus of the Columbia Business School (Exec Online), McKinsey Black Management Accelerator Program, and Dow Africa Leadership Program. Prior to joining Dow, Adebisi held a series of roles with increasing responsibility for Berger Paints Nigeria PLC, where he was responsible for growing the value of the Marine & Protection business for the company. Adebisi obtained his MBA from Business School Netherlands and holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. He is currently pursuing a doctoral program at the University of Business Innovation and Sustainability (UBIS), Washington, DC
Adebisi is deeply committed to Africa, sustainability, strategic thinking, and community development and look forward to exploring opportunities that create positive change!
WHY HACK Facilitator: Dr Leslie Nwoke
Dr. Leslie Nwoke is a physician, development consultant, and founder of HeartWork EQ, a company specializing in professional development for high performers in academia and corporate. She has a robust background in the sciences, learning and development, and public health and uses this to create unique and innovative learning experiences that leaders increase productivity and emotional intelligence skills. She has an affinity for working with unique client situations including navigating failures, highly sensitive persons, and neurodivergent/ twice exceptional populations.
Dr. Leslie believes our ability to make impact on others begins with emotional recovery and mastering our mindsets. She believes heartwork is the first step to help you get there. Other than her love for all things EQ, she loves a good slice of chocolate mousse cake, every album by Celine Dion, and her 3 kids.
Panelist: Dr Endre Dobos
Endre Dobos made a PhD. in Digital Soil Mapping at Purdue University, Agronomy Department, USA, in 1998; an MSc. in GIS and Environmental Survey at the Technical University of Budapest, Faculty of Civil Engineering in 1996, and MSc. in Agronomy from the University of Agricultural Sciences at Gödöllő, Hungary. He is a Professor at the University of Miskolc, Institute of Geography and Geoinformatics. His educational activity covers soil science and GIS related courses. His research activity focuses on digital soil mapping, field scale soil mapping and interpretation supporting precision agriculture and the development of global, small scale soil databases. He is the chair of the Commission 1.3. Soil Genesis of the International Union of Soil Sciences and the President of the Hungarian Soil Science Society.
Speaker: Dr Titus Mathe – CEO, SANEDI
Dr Mathe’s suitability to lead SANEDI is highlighted in his wealth of experience in the energy space. With eighteen years of experience to back a decorated academic record, his appointment will set the organization in good stead to continue fulfilling its vital mandate. He holds a BSc In Chemical Engineering, Howard Univ, USA (1995); a PhD in Chemical Engineering, UCT (2001); a Master’s in Business Leadership, UNISA (2007) as well as a National Higher Diploma in Chemical Engineering and a Certificate in Corporate Governance. Prior to leading critical portfolios at Eskom, Dr Mathe served as a program manager for the then SANERI now SANEDI from 2007 until 2010. During this time, he established the Hydrogen Economy Awareness Program & Green Transport Program. This included the establishment of the Alternative Transport Energy Centre. He is credited for securing industry support for use of Compressed Natural Gas in transport. At Eskom, Dr Mathe served in numerous General Manager roles, including General Manager for Generation Engineering; Research, Testing & Development; Asset Management; Group Technology and Project Engineering. During his tenure at the utility Dr Mathe established a common vision for Power Plant Engineering, in support of the overall Engineering strategy at Eskom and has ensured broad adoption both internally and externally in strategic areas of his work. In addition, he championed approval of a business case for the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI Phase II) as a Program Director and set up a clear strategy for the resourcing of the program with local and international academic and industry.
Speaker: Dr William Leslie Brown-Acquaye
Dr William Leslie Brown-Acquaye is a Senior Lecturer of Information Technology in the Department of Information Technology under the Faculty of Computing and Information Systems and is the current Dean of the Faculty.
He is a Licensed Professional Engineer with the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana, and a member of international bodies such as the Association of Computing Machinery ACM, the Internet Society, and the International Association of Engineers (IAENG).
He holds a Ph.D. in Automation and Control of Industrial Technological Processes (Informatics and Computer Equipment) from Tambov State Technical University and an MSc. Information Systems and Technology from Tver State Technical University, Tver, Russia
An educator with over 16 years of teaching and research experience in core and emerging IT areas such as cloud computing, the metaverse, and 5g in everyday life. He also consults for companies in areas of IT strategy, IT training, and IT integration. A keen area of interest is the applications of new emerging technologies in the educational sector. He is a member of the board of trustees for Africa Invent Age, an NGO working with deprived youths and schools in IT innovations and training.He has several publications in international journals and conferences to his credit.
He is also an IT training consultant focusing on Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, and project management.
Speaker: Dr Thomas Worley
Dr Worley is an Agricultural Economist at The Ohio State University in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics and currently serves as Director of a College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Research and Extension Center in southern Ohio. In a former faculty position at Washington State University, he taught agribusiness marketing, management, and finance and provided a statewide Extension program focused on Farm and Agribusiness Management. During his early working life he was a full time Ohio grain and livestock farmer and held a position with a large agribusiness corporation. Dr. Worley has had international experience in Ukraine, Tanzania, China, Poland, and Israel. Additionally, he has supported numerous international visiting scholars to Ohio State University from these nations as well as several others. His research and Extension focus includes the economics and farm management relative to adoption of cover crops and more generally regenerative agriculture.
Panelist: Duduzile Mthuli RD (SA)
My Name is Duduzile Mthuli generally known as Dudu. I am a registered dietitian. I have spent close to 30 years working as a dietitian and as nutritionists in the Pharmaceutical and Food Industry. My experience extends from working within R&D contributing to innovations across to Marketing in what and how to communicate authentically and truthfully. I have been part of leadership organising National and International events. I have had the pleasure of working with great people who have contributed to my growth.
My purpose is to be a catalyst for growth i.e harness the individual power of a collective group of people for the common Good. I believe Private / Public partnerships are key in unlocking value for the people and the planet.
Most importantly I am a mother to a 17-year-old boy and an 9-year-old girl. My hobby is to read about the lives of Great Women real or fiction.
Summit Exhibitors
