Members of African Policy, Research & Advisory Group on STI
Dr. Olusegun Adedayo Yerokun
c/o National Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research | Olusegun Adedayo Yerokun is Professor of Soil Science and a tertiary education administrator. He is a Fellow of the Zambian Academy of Sciences and has published several scientific papers. His career in academia began as a Research Associate in Soil Fertility and Applied Chemistry at Michigan State University. He then moved to Zambia where he enjoyed extensive service with the University of Zambia, Mulungushi University and the Zambian Open University, rising to the position of Vice Chancellor. Olusegun serves on the International Board of the African Network for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Forestry Education (ANAFE). He has experience serving in the private and development sectors. His current interest is in rural agricultural development, with focus on use of STIs for value addition. Olusegun obtained a B.S. Biology from Benedict College (South Carolina), and M.S. and PhD in Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University.
Areas of Expertise: Soil Fertility and Applied Chemistry; Tertiary Education Management |
Dr. Chomora Mikeka University of Malawi | Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka holds a PhD from the Division of Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering at Yokohama National University, Japan. His PhD research was about power autonomous sensor radio based on cellular and digital TV RF energy harvesting. He is an inventor and holds a Malawi patent number MW/P/2015/00003 on a multi-functional antenna for DTV, TVWS Internet and DTT services. He has collaborated in the design, simulations and fabrication of an ultra-low power DC-DC buck boost converter with regulated output for less than a milliwatt RF energy harvesting used in modern day communications devices. Chomora Mikeka is a UN consultant (Index No.: 00693932) on Digital Technologies in the Transportation System. He is also the lead partner with the University of Strathclyde on Enabling Affordable Internet Access with Dynamic Spectrum Management and Software Defined Radio. Very recently, Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka was awarded a Lifetime Achiever by the ICT Association of Malawi through the Honorable Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology in acknowledging him as an individuals who has contributed remarkably to the ICT industry in the country and abroad.
Areas of Expertise Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka has expertise in seven specific research and consultancy areas: 1. Software Development, 2. Antenna and RF Engineering, 3. Broadband Internet, 4. Internet of Things (IoT), 5. Transport Systems Innovation, 6. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Future Networks, 7. Energy-Aware Systems, and 8. Spectrum Use Audit. |
Dr. Nouhou Diaby | Dr Nouhou Diaby’s academic background is in geosciences and environmental, with specialties in geo-microbiology and bioremediation. He is currently researcher at Wastewater Treatment Lab at IFAN, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal. From 2009 to 2019, Diaby was technical advisor to the Senegal Minister of Higher Education, Research and innovation, where he was in charge of scientific equipment, as well as national coordinator of the ASTII (African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Initiative). He was also the focal point of UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) and coordinator MAB national Committee. Diaby was also Senegal representative in the Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe project (CAAST-NET PLUS 2013-2017). He contributed to higher education, research and innovation policy in Senegal and in ECOWAS STI Policy. He is the author of several publications and co-author of West African chapter in UNESCO Science Report, 2015 edition.
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Dr. Patrick Joram Mugisha
| Mugisha Joram Patrick (MOOGY) is a Ugandan born in Kinkiizi, Kanungu District. His ultimate mission in life is to the effectively promote the effective utilization of intellectual property as a vehicle for promoting the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063 through Science, Technology and Innovation. Mugisha is a YALI East Africa Regional Leadership Centre Fellow (Business & Enterprise Track-cohort 14).He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Chemistry (Hons) from Makerere University, an MSc in Synthetic Organic Chemistry Research from University of Southampton-UK and a Master in Intellectual Property (MIP) from Africa University Mutare-Zimbabwe. He has ten (10) years of working experience in Translational Research and Development within the academia and industry ecosystem as well as five (5) year experience in innovation and intellectual property management.
Areas of Expertise: Translational Research and Development (Idea to market); Standards and innovation management at firm level; Innovation and intellectual property management; Start-ups and business incubation advisory (business modelling and execution); Natural Product Chemistry, Drug discovery, Medicinal Chemistry, Agro-value addition, Quality and standards; Establishment of Innovations and Technology Transfer Offices, focus on Academia; Design, Development and Implementation of relevant ST&I policies; Resource Mobilization and Negotiation Skills |
Dr. Wilhelmina Quaye
| Dr. (Mrs) Wilhelmina Quaye obtained her PhD in Rural Sociology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands in 2012. She had her MPil (2002) and BSc (1993) in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon. She also has a certificate in Gender Mainstreaming from Institute of Capacity Development in South Africa and a certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). She is an African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) fellow and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for Sustainable Development and Relief Associates (SUDRA). She has over 30 peer reviewed publications and has attended several international conferences. She has consulted for UNDP Ghana Cocoa Platform, African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) on Gender and Tradeline Consult on Household Dietary Diversity Scores. Her areas of specialization include Socio-economic related research, Monitoring & Evaluation, Policy and Gender Issues. She has over 20 years working experience both in research and practice. She is married to David Sowah Quaye and Blessed with a child; Gift Nana Ohenewaa Quaye. Currently, she is the Director of CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute in Ghana. |
Dr. Mathetha Mokonyama CSIR, Competence Area Manager | Dr. Mathetha Mokonyama is a practitioner in the area of sustainable transport provision. He leads the area of transport systems and operations at the CSIR in South Africa, where he in particular helps to develop context specific transport modelling techniques and empirical research approaches to improve transport policies, the design of transport networks and services, including the design of public transport service contracts. He holds a PhD in transportation engineering, and is registered professional engineer. Areas of Expertise: Sustainable transport provision |
Dr. Shreyas Patel
| MD - Cyber Trace Ltd. an IOT solutions provider focusing on the connected car space. Senior Consultant to Garda World. PostGrad Degree - Business - University of Liverpool
Areas of Expertise: IOT solutions in the connected car space; Insurance telematics; Vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management; Asset Tracking; Consultant to the security industry |
Dr. Dawit Assefa Haile
| Dr. Dawit Assefa Haile received the B.Sc. degree in Mathematics (minor in Physics) from Addis Ababa University (AAU), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1999. He received the M.Sc. degree in Mathematics in the Applications of Modeling in the Natural and Social Sciences Graduate Program from Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, in 2003 and the Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics (Scientific Computing) from the UWO, London, Ontario, Canada, in 2007. Dr. Haile is currently an Assistant Professor at the Center of Biomedical Engineering, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, AAU. Dr. Haile’s major research interests include signal and image analysis, color image processing, medical image analysis, scientific computing, bioinformatics and operation research (optimization). Most recently, his collaborative research efforts involve translationally-driven imaging research that exploits advanced mathematical and image analysis assets for applications in preclinical and clinical biomedicine research.
Areas of Expertise: Scientific research; mathematics, data analysis and computing; project management; mentoring. |
Ms. Khadija Jabri
| Khadija is an innovation consultant at Vision Plan, a London-based innovation consultancy firm. She joined ECA in 2019 as a consultant and worked on a research project focused on emerging technologies and their potential to transform the transportation sector in the African continent. She started her career at Fujitsu, a Japanese multinational IT company, where she held diverse roles in engineering, technical project & program management, and business development across EMEA. Khadija holds two advanced degrees in engineering. A Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Ecole Centrale d’Electronique, in Paris. And MSc in Management of wireless information systems and technologies from London South Bank University (LSBU), where she graduated top of her class. She has also completed two study programs in International Development at Harvard Kennedy School. A Moroccan national, Khadija is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.
Area of expertise: Emerging technologies, particularly Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI). |
Prof. G. Charles Kwesiga
| Charles is the Executive Director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) an East African Community Centre of Excellence in R&D. He oversees the Institute’s technology transfer and diffusion; business incubation; and applied R&D.
An engineer and experienced corporate manager, management consultant, educator and entrepreneur Kwesiga’s other activities have included:
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prof. Godfred Frempong
| Godfred Frempong is a Chief Research Scientist and former Deputy Director for Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Ghana. He has been involved in policy research for several years in diverse disciplines such as SMEs and industry development, innovation studies, STI and ICTs. He has published extensively in diverse disciplines. Godfred Frempong has attracted research funding from several international organisations such as UN Economic Commission for Africa, International Development Research Centre of Canada, European Union, Danish Development Agency, INREF of Wageningen University and Research and World Bank Institute among others. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the African Academic Network on Internet Policy based in Ibadan, Nigeria. He is a member of AEH Development Institute and AIRNET all based in Lusaka, Zambia. AIRNET is an independent and continental interdisciplinary research network that seeks to infuse entrepreneurship into technology and innovation research, project design and implementation to support development.
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Mr. Richard Mavisi Liahona
| Mr. Richard Mavisi Liahona has over 20 years work experience in the public sector. He currently works at Ministry of Energy as Deputy Director in charge of Geothermal Energy. He holds a Master’s Degree in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, a Diploma in Business Management and a Certificate in Innovation Policy Development from the World Bank Institute. He previously worked as a geologist at the Ministry of Mining and a Research Officer at the Ministry of Education Science and Technology. Mr. Liahona is a national expert on Science Technology and Innovation (STI) indicators. He was the Focal Point and National coordinator for STI indicators surveys under the NEPAD led ASTII initiative in Kenya. He has also consulted for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on various Innovation Policy and Technology transfer projects in addition to being a member of various ECA ad hoc expert group meetings and workshops. |
Ms. Veronica Mvula
| Veronica Mvula is a Civil Engineer with the Roads Authority of Malawi working as the Highway Designs Engineer. She is responsible for the monitoring of highway design components at design and implementation stage and also management of the road network with focus on traffic safety, speed control and road reserve boundary preservation. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Malawi, The Polytechnic obtained in 2010. Prior to joining the Roads Authority, Veronica worked with Infracon Consulting Engineers (formerly Romana) where she gained extensive experience in design and supervision of building structures and highways. Her work ethic dwells on offering the client and stakeholder the best product that ensures their value for money while creating infrastructure that is safe, durable and internationally accepted. Veronica enjoys fitness training, reading, travelling and occasionally offers motivational talks to students in schools. Areas of Expertise: Structural and Highway Engineering Design; Determining and Reviewing of highway design standards for road classifications; Supervision of feasibility and detailed engineering design and construction services; Preparation of procurement documents for engineering services i.e. Terms of Reference, bidding documents |
Ms. Viana Kakuli Aggrey Yuyunda
| Viana Kakuli Aggrey Yuyunda is a professional with specialization in the areas of Environmental Sanitation and Biology. She holds a Master of Science (MSC) degree in Environmental Sanitation from University of Gent/Belgium and also a Master of Science degree in Biology from the University Of Khartoum Faculty Of Education. She is a member of steering committee for Science and Technology in the Republic of South Sudan. Additionally, she pursued short trainings in tropical limnology and certificate courses on HIV/AIDS management, transformational leadership, conflict management peacebuilding, Gender and Gender Based Violence and Women economic empowerment which culminated to her being a core facilitator at the National Transformational Leadership Institute at the University of Juba in the same disciplines. Currently she is a Ministerial advisor in the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and also a member of the National Council of Higher Education in the Republic of South Sudan. She is also the Technical Advisor in the office of the First Lady of RSS since 2011 up-to-date. Prior to these positions, she worked with the then Southern Sudan AIDS Commission as the Deputy Chairperson from 2006-2010 and as a lecturer of Biology at the University of Juba for more than fourteen (14) years |
Mr. Wondwossen Belete
| Mr. Wondwossen Belete is president of Society for Technology Studies in Ethiopia. He is also National coordinator of African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)- Ethiopia Chapter and member of Open African Innovation Research Network (Open AIR). Belete has previously worked for the Ethiopian government as Science and Technology Policy Expert and as Director of Intellectual Property Protection and Technology Transfer. Belete’s research interest is in science, technology and innovation policy studies with emphasis on innovation systems and development. His current work focuses on digital technologies for the transformation of traditional agriculture. Belete holds a BA in Economics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and an MSc degree in Science and Technology Policy from the University of Strathclyde, UK. He has published papers on university-industry linkage, SME innovation, intellectual property rights and agricultural innovations. Belete has consulted for the Ethiopian government as well as WIPO, GIZ, UNECA, GWP and BIO-EARN. |
Dr. Hellen Opolot
| Personal Statement As an Assistant Executive Secretary, I am interdisciplinary. I coordinate the regulatory oversight role of human and animal protection for responsible conduct of research in the country in a way that does not violate their rights and welfare as research participants. I have contributed to the revision of the National Guidelines for Research involving Humans as Research Participants, July 2014 and the development of the National Guidelines for Research Involving Animals, edition 2019. I also work on issues related to technology management to ensure that research and technology development activities are both funded and carried out in a safe and ethical manner. My current interest relates to developing research integrity capacity in research institutions. Professional and Academic Qualifications January 2020: Training in Introduction to Research Ethics, TRREE training programme.
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Dr. Beatrice Murage
| Dr. Beatrice Murage is an experienced leader in systems strengthening, entre (intra)preneurship, digital technology and ventures. She is currently a Senior Scientist at Philips Research Africa. Beatrice has successfully led strategy, policy formulation and project implementation in emerging markets. She works with leaders in governments, private sector and international development organizations to attain customer-centric, affordable and sustainable digital solutions. Her industry and client relationships have included governments, foundations, incubators & accelerators, UN agencies & other NGOs, insurance & banking entities, telcos, agritech organizations, learning & development teams and social enterprises. Beatrice is a board certified medical doctor and a PMI certified project manager (PMP), with an International MBA and Master in Business Analytics & Big Data from IE Business School. Her Board and Advisory roles include Young Women Social Entrepreneurs (YWSE) Board, Nairobi Chapter and on Advisory teams of ASME- ISHOW and IFC's TechEmerge Program.
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Mr. Amr Safwat
| Amr Safwat serves the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt as the Manager of African Organizations Affairs. He possesses more than 14 years of experience working for the government on establishing and managing partnerships with foreign governments, international and regional organizations in the ICT sector. His main expertise lies in formulating policy recommendations, program management, and setting initiatives to enhance cooperation with foreign governments and strategic development partners. Mr. Safwat performed a number of roles on the regional and international such as the Egyptian Councilor on the ATU Executive Council (2014 - 2018), Chairman of the 17th ATU Executive Council (2016 – 2017), and the Rapporteur of the Assembly of Users of the Pan African e-Network initiative at the African Union (2016 - 2018). He has also been nominated by the Egyptian government to run for the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Secretary General elections for the year 2018. When he first started with the Ministry, he worked for the Asian Affairs department where he was among the main contributors to the establishment and development of the department. He then served as the Manager of the Department working where he initiated cooperation programs with a number of Asian countries in ICT and contributed significantly to the development and enhancement of such relations. He previously worked at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where he worked on interviewing asylum seekers from different countries and determining their refugee status. Mr. Safwat holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore and a BA in Business Administration. |
Prof. Mokhtar SELLAMI
| Prof. Mokhtar SELLAMI, is in charge of STI Implementation in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with recent experience of ten years in research programming and evaluation followed by five years in technological development and Innovation. He holds the doctorate in computer science at the University of Grenoble (France) in 1980 and investigate research areas in artificial intelligence and logic programming with more then one hundred of ranked publications. At continental level, he set up the Pan African institute of water science and energy (including climate change) in Algeria, and initiated many international cooperation programs in the framework of bilateral cooperation and AU-EU partnership through the High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD Bureau). Recent tasks are on co-leading and coordinating H2020 AU-EU programmes on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (CCSE) and FNSSA (Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture). Others activities of interest are supervising and facilitating incubators implementation, Laboratory of Fabrication (FabLabs) animation and the creation of startups.
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Prof. Collen Masimirembwa
African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology
| Collen Masimirembwa is the founding President and Chief Scientific Officer of the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology, AiBST, www.aibst.com. He previously worked for AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company in Sweden for 10 years as a Principal Scientist in DMK & Bioanalytical Chemistry. With support from various funding organizations (ISP, EDCTP, CDC, TWAS, WHO, NIH, NEPAD/SANBIO), companies (AstraZeneca, Novartis, Merck) and colleagues in academia and industry, he established AiBST that focuses on drugs and diagnostics innovation. He is a Distinguished Professors of Health Sciences at the University of Witwatersrand. He is also a Fellow of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences (ZAS) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). Collen is a pioneer of pharmacogenetics research in Africa and continues to champion its development to clinical applications. One of his outstanding innovations is the precision medicine test, GenoPharmR. He also runs an outreach program to promote biomedical sciences in high schools. |
Mr. Ismail Barugahara
Uganda National Council for Science and Technology | Ismail Barugahara (m): Assistant Executive Secretary at Uganda National Council for Science and Technology is an experienced doctoral level Economist and Evaluator with 20 years’ experience in policy-making and analysis. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Makerere University in 1997, a Master of Arts in Economic Policy and Planning from Makerere University in 2004 and expects to complete a PhD in Economics from the University of South Africa in 2020. His expertise in policy analysis, project management and programme/project evaluation using logic models, participatory appraisal techniques and other methods of performance and impact evaluation will be particularly useful in the design, implementation and review of the UNECA programme activities. He has previously led on projects facilitating evidence-based public policy making and strengthening research and innovation capacity in Africa such as the NEPAD/AU African, Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (ASTII) Project that generated STI indicators and statistics within several African countries; the UIS/OECD/EUROSTAT Careers of Doctorate Holders (CDH) Project which mapped career trajectories of doctorate degree holders and assessed their contribution to research and innovation; the World Bank funded Uganda Millennium Science Initiative’ (MSI) Project which sought to strengthen national research capacities through provision of competitive research grants to universities, research institutions and other knowledge centres; the Advancing sub-Saharan African – European Union Cooperation in Research and Innovation for Global Challenges’ (CAAST-Net Plus) Project which promoted bi-regional STI cooperation for enhanced outcomes on the global challenges of climate change, food availability and health; the DFID – UK’s Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA) Programme which facilitated evidence-based public policy making and strengthening of research capacity in 22 Universities in Africa; and currently the IDRC/DFID/SIDA/NRF - South Africa’s Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) in Sub-Saharan Africa which seeks to strengthen policy and research management capacities of STI system actors in Africa. His publications include Barugahara, I., & Harber, T. (2017), Complexities of linking researchers with policymakers in Africa, Research for All, 1 (2): 375–86. DOI https://doi.org/10.18546/RFA.01.2 and Barugahara, I. N., & Tostensen, A. (2017). Policy frameworks supporting Africa-Europe STI cooperation: Past achievements and future responsibilities. In, Cherry, A., Haslip, J., Ralphs, G., and Wagner, I. (eds.). Africa-Europe Research and Innovation Cooperation: Global Challenges, Bi-regional Responses. Geneva, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. |
Mrs. Jacqueline Kado
| Mrs. Jacqueline kado is the Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) secretariat based in Nairobi, Kenya. NASAC is a consortium of science twenty-eight science academies in Africa, with a membership drawn from all spheres of science. Her role ensures that NASAC activities are implemented in a coordinated and timely manner, and that secretariat functions are executed optimally. She has served science academies in various capacities since the establishment of NASAC in 2001. Mrs. Kado holds a Master’s Degree in Project Planning and Management (MA-PPM) from the University of Nairobi (UoN) and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree in Commerce and Mathematics, also from UoN. She has functional knowledge of French and has specialized in project management for policy-advice through science and by scientific institutions. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (AETDEW), and also a member of the Belt and Road International Science Education Coordinating Committee (BRISECC). |
Prof. Caroline Ncube
SARChI Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development | Caroline Ncube is a professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Cape Town and holds the National Research Foundation/Department of Science & Technology Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development under the auspices of the South African Research Chairs Initiative. Prior to embarking on an academic career, she briefly practised as an attorney. She has been engaged in several international Intellectual Property law research projects, such as the Open African Innovation Research network (Open AIR) project. She has published widely on IP law on aspects including traditional knowledge, regional integration, patents and copyright law. She is an Associate Member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa. She is a founding co-editor of the South African Intellectual Property Law Journal and an editorial board member of the Journal of Corporate and Commercial Law & Practice, the African Journal of Intellectual Property and the African Journal of Information and Communication. |
