Ikal Ang’elei is an accomplished environmental activist. She is the co-founder and Director of Friends of Lake Turkana, a grassroots organisation dedicated to promoting social, economic, and environmental justice in the Lake Turkana Basin, one of Kenya’s most vital and vulnerable ecosystems.

Ikal holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Political Science from Stony Brook University in New York. Her work has been internationally recognised, particularly for her advocacy on behalf of indigenous communities in Northern Kenya. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her efforts to raise awareness about the environmental and social impacts of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam, which posed significant threats to the livelihoods of local communities dependent on Lake Turkana.

Through her leadership and activism, Ikal continues to champion environmental conservation and sustainable development, with a focus on empowering marginalised communities. Her commitment to justice and equity makes her a strong leader for ACEP as the organization advances its mission to shape the governance of energy and extractives resources in Africa.

Emily Anwuli Achor-Offodile, Executive Director of the Ziva Community Initiative, has over a decade of experience in the mining sector, where she has concentrated on advancing sustainable practices and strengthening community resilience. She has contributed to Nigeria’s National Action Plan on eliminating mercury use in mining and led training and awareness programs for artisanal and small-scale miners across Niger, Plateau, and Osun States to support communities in managing the impacts of COVID-19.

Emily’s work also includes developing community-focused frameworks for lead-zinc and gold mining projects and conducting studies on the impacts of mining on women in local communities. A Geology graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, she is proficient in Nigeria’s three major languages, which enables her to facilitate effective communication between mining companies, artisanal miners, and regulatory agencies.

Daniel Gbondo is the Mining Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources in Sierra Leone. Prior to this role, he served as the Natural Resource Management Advisor to the Chief-of-Staff in the Office of the President, as well as the Environmental and Social Performance Advisor at the Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit, also at the Office of the President of Sierra Leone.

Trained as a Sociologist, Daniel started his career as a peace builder in Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war years, playing key roles in facilitating dialogue among rebel commanders and Commanders of the Government Army. He later worked as a Resident Senior Program Officer at the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) before taking up the role of Country Representative at the Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability (FESS), also based in the US.

Benjamin Boakye is an Energy Governance Professional and the Executive Director at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy.

Prior to becoming the Executive Director, he served as the Deputy Executive Director, Programmes Director and Operations Director, managing the research unit and the programmes unit.

He has made contributions to the extractive sector governance in Ghana and in Africa, with much focus on corporate governance, institutional development, fiscal governance, contract governance and the evolution of legal framework for the effective management of extractive resources. He has also consulted for the World Bank Group, UNDP, and many research institutions in the resource sector.

Benjamin has delivered presentations at various international conferences on the extractive sector, particularly on revenue generation and expenditure. He works with host communities, analyzing the communities’ issues relative to the development of extractives’ projects and revenue redistribution. He also has extensive experience on power sector reforms.

Benjamin holds an MSc. from the University of Dundee, UK in Energy Studies and BA (Hons.) in Sociology with Information Studies from the University of Ghana.