Charles Wanguhu is a Pan-Africanist with a focus on good governance and human rights. He is the founding director of the Enzi Ijayo-Africa Initiative, an initiative that focuses on Africa’s future development in the context of a global climate crisis. Wanguhu brings to NRGI broad experience in the management of natural resources and in energy governance. Since 2016 he has been on the board of the Africa Centre for Open Governance, a think tank with a focus on the structural causes of corruption, where he was formerly head of programs (2008–13).

Wanguhu is an analyst and has written widely on the political economy of oil exploration and production. He was previously the coordinator of the Kenya Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, which coordinates civil society to provide a collective voice on oil, gas and broader extractive issues. He also held the position of civil society gas lead at the African Climate Foundation in 2022. Other previous positions include the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Born in Kenya, Wanguhu earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire and his master’s in international and commercial dispute resolution at the University of Westminster. He is an alumnus of the Draper Hills Fellow Program at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

Dr. Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba is a development specialist with over 29 years of experience in public health, development communication, social marketing and advertising. She has multi-disciplinary training in mass communication, international law, diplomacy, global health, and population studies. Before joining the UN in 2018, Ifeoma spent nearly 10 years with ActionAid and held various roles in Nigeria, Haiti, and Senegal, where she was ActionAid’s Country Director. Before that, she served as Head of Governance, Policy and Partnerships for WaterAid Nigeria (2005 -2009). Prior to WaterAid, Ifeoma worked for Nigeria’s foremost public health NGO, the Society for Family Health (SFH) and for a leading Nigerian advertising agency in the private sector.

Oliver Maponga is an Economic Affairs Officer based at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Sub Regional Office for Southern Africa in Lusaka, Zambia. He has extensive experience in the minerals sector and has supported regional member States on policy development in the sector. He was part of the ECA team, which anchored the development of the Africa Mining Vision, and he is actively involved in the continental approach to critical energy transition minerals exploitation.

His current work also focuses on supporting inclusive industrialization in Southern Africa through industrial policy development and implementation, the development of regional value chains, strengthening regional economic integration, supporting the establishment of resource-based national and transboundary special economic zones and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement by regional member states.

Oliver holds a PhD in Mineral economics and has held research and teaching posts at the Western Australian School of Mines and the University of Zimbabwe’s Institute of Mining Research (IMR). While with IMR, Oliver was part of a team of mineral experts supporting analytical work in the sector, and his special focus was on artisanal and small-scale mining, mineral economics, mining investment, socio-economic and environmental assessment of mining activities. He is a graduate of the University of Zimbabwe, McGill University (Canada) and the Western Australian School of Mines’ Curtin University of Technology (Australia).

Francis Kemausuor is a Professor at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Francis’ research interest is in Renewable Energy, Rural Energy Systems, Energy Planning and Energy Policy.

Francis currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering at KNUST. He previously served as Director of The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre at KNUST, and Head of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. He has served as Visiting Lecturer / Researcher and Adjunct Professor at several universities, including the University of Life Sciences in Norway, the Pan African University – Institute of Energy and Water Sciences (PAUWES) in Tlemcen, Algeria, the Ecole Superieure des Metiers des Energies Renouvelables in Abomi-Calavi, Benin and the Regional Maritime University in Ghana. He has also spent time at the University of Michigan, as part of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) programme. He has undertaken numerous research and consultancy assignments in Ghana and the sub-region, commissioned by national, international and multilateral organizations.

Francis holds a PhD in Bioengineering. He has studied at the University of Cambridge, Denmark Technical University, and KNUST. He is a Professional Engineer and a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineering.

Dr. Riverson Oppong is a seasoned oil and gas business analyst with over 15 years of global experience, contributing to key projects in Kazakhstan, Iraq, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. As the CEO of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies, he plays a critical role in driving the strategic direction and growth of Ghana’s oil marketing sector, ensuring the industry’s alignment with global standards and best practices.

Dr. Oppong also serves as the 2025–2028 Africa Regional Director of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International and is a committee member of the International Gas Union. His leadership within these organizations is pivotal in shaping Africa’s energy future, particularly in policy development and innovation in the oil and gas sector. He has consulted for various governments across Sub-Saharan Africa, leveraging his expertise to influence energy policies and development strategies.

As Commercial Operations Manager at Ghana National Gas Company, Dr. Oppong was responsible for Economics, Risk, and Planning, contributing significantly to the advancement of Ghana’s natural gas sector. Beyond his professional roles, Dr. Oppong is dedicated to education, holding adjunct lecturer positions at Ghana Technology University College, University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

Dr. Oppong holds a Ph.D. and a Post-Doctorate Degree in International Oil and Gas Management – Finance and Economics from Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. He also earned a Diploma in Earth GeoScience from Stanford University, USA, and a Master’s degree (with honours) in Petroleum Engineering from Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, complemented by a Master’s Exchange Program in Arctic Development from the Norwegian University of Nordland. Additionally, Dr. Oppong holds a Bachelor’s in Materials Science and Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and a Diploma in Project Management from the Institute of Commercial Management, UK.

Dr. Oppong’s comprehensive industry experience, leadership roles, and commitment to education make him a key figure in Ghana’s and Africa’s broader energy landscape.

Dr. Olufunso Somorin is a Regional Principal Officer at the African Development Bank. He leads the Bank’s work on climate change and green growth in the 13 countries of the Bank’s East African region. This includes supporting countries’ access to climate finance for climate actions, and mainstreaming climate change in policies and programs. He leads strategic dialogues with public and private institutions on policy frameworks for managing local/regional socio-economic issues, climate change, renewable energy, carbon markets, infrastructure, ESG and inclusive growth.

Between 2013 and 2017, he coordinated the Bank’s work on addressing fragility and building resilience within the Horn of Africa. In the last 12 years in the Bank, he has been directly involved in the design, appraisal, and supervision of more than 250 development projects across multiple sectors, worth more than USD 20 billion. Over the last 17 years, Dr Somorin has published more than 50 articles on climate policy in Africa and has spoken at 300+ conferences and events.

Somorin holds a PhD in International Environmental Policy from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. As an Erasmus Mundus Scholar, he holds two MSc degrees from Finland and Netherlands. He is an alumnus of executive education from Bradford, Cambridge, and Oxford Universities in the UK, and University of California, Berkeley (USA). He gives guest-lectures at King’s College London, African Leadership University (Rwanda) and Strathmore University (Kenya). Somorin is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the Africa Policy Research Institute (Berlin). He is a recipient of several international awards and recognitions, including the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowships (US) for his work on climate policy in Africa.

As a global leader on climate policy, Somorin is currently serving on the UN Secretary General Taskforce on Net Zero Policy.

Rachael is the Head of Group Sustainability and ESG for Ecobank Transnational Incorporation. She is responsible for supervising the bank’s 33 subsidiaries’ global sustainability and ESG initiatives. She collaborates with the board and teams to develop strategies and policies that integrate sustainability into all aspects of the bank’s operations. She has been featured on CNBC Africa and other platforms as a media commentator on sustainable finance-related topics in Africa. She is also the sustainability spokesperson for Ecobank.

She holds a Master of Science from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, a law degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the same institution. She is the deputy chair of the International Capital Markets West African Regional Committee and a former member of the Centre for Environmental Rights in South Africa’s non-executive board.

Titus Gwemende is Division Director- Opportunity and Equity at Open Society Foundations in Africa where he has been providing overall strategic leadership of investments on creating just and fairer economies, resource economics and geopolitics of energy (especially critical minerals), anti-corruption, climate change work among other things. He has over 18 years’ experience working in senior roles of local and international organizations.

Previously, he was in Mozambique where he was the Regional Lead for Natural Resources Governance within Oxfam International where he contributed to building a multi-country and multi-partner program in much of Lusophone and Anglophone Africa region. He has also been Country Director for Transparency International Zimbabwe, the leading anti-corruption watchdog in Zimbabwe and was more recently its Deputy Board Chairperson. Titus was Section Head (Trade, Investments, Mining and Agriculture) for Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regional Mission to Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe where he facilitated trade, investment and managed economic governance projects between Netherlands, EU and a number of Southern Africa countries.  He has spoken at international conferences in all continents of the world and provides frequent political economy news analysis on various regional and global media houses.

He holds an MA from Ohio University. He is also a past Fellow at Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University and has won the Reagan Fasceal Fellowship with National Endowment for Democracy. He has gone through the Leadership Academy for Development targeted at Emerging Leaders in the Global South through a joint program developed by Johns Hopkins University and University of Cape Town.

Nafi Chinery, Africa Director at Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), is a seasoned interdisciplinary strategist with over 25 years in civil society, dedicated to social justice and changing narratives about the future of Africa in the oil, gas, and mining sectors. Nafi leads NRGI’s Africa team and program, focusing on energy transition, transition minerals, and revenue management, working with communities, CSOs, and governments to ensure an inclusive, equitable, and accountable transition in Africa, aligning with Africa’s reality and sustainable development.

Nafi holds a master’s degree in social development and sustainable livelihoods from the University of Reading in the UK, a Bachelor of Arts degree and diploma in education from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and an executive certificate in oil, gas and mining from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, in the UK. She was also a 2014 Aspen New Voices Fellow.

Juliana Bempah is a Principal Programme Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana. Juliana is a climate change Expert and has supported as a team lead for Ghana’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory from 2008 to date. She serves as a technical expert on the UNFCCC Roster of Experts and has conducted several reviews on Greenhouse Inventories for Annex 1 countries and Technical Analysis of Biennial Update Reports and is a Lead Reviewer of Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

At the Agency, she is a team member for implementation of Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). She is deeply involved in the preparations of Biennial Update reports, Ghana’s Greenhouse Gas Inventories and National Communications.

Juliana is currently with the Ghana Carbon Market Office, where she provides administrative and technical support to the general public and support implementation of the Ghana International carbon market and non-market approaches framework under the Paris Agreement. She is a Project Assistant for the Ghana’s Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Project.

She serves on various technical committees where she provides technical advice on Environment and Climate change issues.

Mohamed Sultan is a development professional with over 15 years of experience in driving economic, social, and justice initiatives. Currently serving as the Africa Lead at the Global Methane Hub, he coordinates the strategic development of the organization’s Africa portfolio, overseeing impactful projects at the intersection of development and mitigation efforts within the energy, waste, and agricultural sectors. Prior to that, Mohamed worked with the African Union Development Agency and held several roles within the Open Society Foundations. As the program manager for economic and climate justice in West Africa, he managed a diverse team and multiple portfolios aimed at addressing economic inequality, promoting public and corporate accountability, fostering public mobilization for economic and climate justice, and expanding opportunities throughout the region.

Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Master’s in development and international relations from the University of Bologna. He holds certificates from Oxford’s Said Business School and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. Mohamed actively contributes to various boards, offering technical assistance and support to organizations. He is fluent in French, English, and Italian.

Sandra has over fifteen years of experience working with global and regional non-governmental organizations focusing on issues of peace, human rights, democracy, economic justice and gender justice. She is passionate about economic justice on the African continent. Areas of interest include tax justice, prudent public debt management, transparency and accountability in the extractive sector, and mainstreaming gender in economic justice work. She has a successful track record in programme development, programme coordination, fundraising, awareness raising, capacity building and people’s management.

Sandra has served as Diakonia’s Africa Economic Justice Programme Manager since April 2018. She is responsible for providing effective leadership in planning, resource mobilization, formulating and implementing the operations of the Africa Economic Justice Programme.

She successfully led the setup and implementation of a multi-year programme on Promoting Domestic Resource Mobilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa that has contributed to mainstreaming discussions on taxation and public debt management in both the development discourse and political narrative, particularly in the East Africa Community, Southern Africa Development Community and the Economic Community of West African states. The programme is currently in its second phase.

Sandra holds a master’s degree in international relations and a bachelor’s degree in political science and international Relations.

Prior to joining ACEP, Kodzo was a Program Assistant, Policy Influencing and Advocacy at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI).

His research interests include Natural Resource for Inclusive Growth and Development, Sustainable Energy Access and Political Economy of Resource Management.

He holds a Masters in Economic Policy Management from the University of Ghana.

Maybel is an extractive and energy professional with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics, from the University of Ghana. She leads the implementation of multi-donor projects in the energy and extractive industries on behalf of ACEP.

Her interest areas include optimizing extractive resources for inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in Africa, promoting gender diversity in natural resource governance, and the differential impact of the energy transition on citizens.