Common Ground Story Studio: Emerging Leaders Initiative

Speakers

• Godwin David Msigwa

  Speaker

  Chairman, Advisory Board, Tanzania Renewable Energy Association

  Name: Godwin David Msigwa Age: 32 Country: Tanzania Organisation: Tanzania Renewable Energy Association Title: Chairman, Advisory Board Email: godwinsolar@gmail.com I am a co-founder of BLISS UNIVERSAL, a renewable energy company as well as a renewable energy enthusiast and entrepreneur serving as the chairman of the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association advisory board for the last 6 years. In my career in the renewable energy sector, I developed the first solar PV manual for solar technicians in Tanzania which is available in the local language, Kiswahili. I am also a national solar trainer for upcoming solar technicians, solar dealers and trainer of trainers in Tanzania. So far, I trained more than 700 young solar technicians nationwide including youth under OYE project, (funded by the MasterCard foundation) in Tanzania, SIDA, GiZ, Maxx Solar Academy, Commission for Science and Technology, BFZ. I am an advocator for environment and renewable energy locally and internationally whereas through radio and TV programs, he advocated and was successful in lobbying for tax waiver of renewable energy components in Tanzania. Currently, I am in the process of establishing a renewable energy technical school where young underprivileged Tanzanians skills will be developed through technical secondary education biased in renewable energy and energy efficiency. My efforts in the renewable energy sector include waste management from slaughter houses as a means of income generation where waste from slaughter houses will be used to produce gas that will be stored in containers as a cooking energy.

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• Kpetermeni Toquoi Siakor

  Speaker

  Director of Innovation, iLab Liberia

  Kpetermeni is a native of Liberia but spent his formative years between Liberia and Ghana during the civil wars in his home country. Whilst a MasterCard Foundation scholar at Ashesi University, Kpetermeni helped combat the Ebola outbreak by drastically shortening the time it took health officials to get actionable data from the field. Additionally, his contributions to developing his university’s cashless cafeteria and an electronic library and social platform to connect students and teachers with educational resources without Internet connection, among others, helped earn him the President's Award, the highest honour at Ashesi. Upon graduation, Kpetermeni returned to iLab Liberia where he supports the training of medical residents and has developed numerous tools, including a platform for tracking child labour in Liberia, robust payrolls for social cash transfers to low-income and Ebola-affected households, and an anti-corruption platform for the government of Sierra Leone. He is also currently helping set up an innovation campus in Liberia (iCampus). Kpetermeni also volunteers to manage the infrastructure at the Liberia Internet Exchange Point Association (LIXPA).

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• Joony Moon

  Moderator

  Analyst, Analysis and Insight, Skoll Foundation

  As a former Analyst with Skoll’s Analysis & Insight team, Joony informed the Foundation’s strategy through researching portfolio and ecosystem opportunities to better inform its grantmaking processes. While at Skoll, he worked to spearhead dissemination of the Foundation’s insights and intelligence throughout the organization as well as to external audiences. Joony also served as a program manager for the Skoll World Forum’s Emerging Leaders Initiative. Prior to working at Skoll, Joony worked in India as an Impact Investing Fellow in Ahmedabad, India, where he helped organize Global Entrepreneurship Week events across the country. Before his fellowship, Joony worked as a consultant in the federal healthcare practice at Deloitte. Joony is originally from the Washington DC metro area and completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University in Economics. He looks forward to continuing his work in social impact at the University of California, Berkeley as a masters student in public policy beginning in the fall of 2017.

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• Amanda Yembrick

  Speaker

  Chief Program Officer, Medic

  Amanda Yembrick joined Medic in 2012 and currently serves as interim Chief Program Officer, based remotely in Washington, D.C. USA. In this role, Amanda leads the organization’s global team that designs and delivers impactful digital health tools, provides capacity building services, and implements technology solutions leveraging the Community Health Toolkit. Amanda most recently served as Medic’s Director of Research and Learning, overseeing a portfolio of data science and design research initiatives. Prior to joining Medic, Amanda worked in international and domestic emergency response with organizations including Partners in Health and MIT. Amanda holds a BSc in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University.

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• Sam Leon

  Speaker

  Data Lead, Global Witness

  Sam leads Global Witness’s work on data-driven investigative journalism and digital storytelling. His work focuses on the use of data to fight corruption and how to turn this information into change making stories. He is currently working with a coalition of data scientists, academics and investigative journalists to build analytical models and tools that enable anti-corruption campaigners to understand and identify corporate networks used for nefarious and corrupt practices. While at Global Witness he has developed a number of innovative web applications and visualizations for a range of campaigns including The Great Rip Off Map, Cambodia Corporates and the DRC Timber Tracker. During the last year he has been working with the Sundance Institute and MIT Media Lab to build an immersive storytelling tool specifically tailored for human rights organizations that need to publish to audiences without access to broadband connections. He previously worked at the Open Knowledge Foundation leading the organization’s work on data literacy for human rights groups and journalists. He has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Cambridge University and a Masters in the History of Ideas from University College London.

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• Delilah Anita Owiti

  Speaker

  Postgraduate studying Environment & Development, Edinburgh University

  “The surest way to keep people down is to educate the men and neglect the women. If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation" James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey - Ghana Delilah Anita Owiti, Kenyan, is a young professional and enthusiastic leader passionate about the environment and its sustainability. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Egerton University, Kenya, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Environment and Development at the University of Edinburgh as a MasterCard Foundation Scholar; the first of its kind in the UK. She is also a registered Environmental Impact Assessment expert, carrying out feasibility studies prior to project developments in environmentally sensitive areas to measure the potential environmental damage and where possible, provide mitigation measures. Growing up as a member of the Girl Guide society, courage and assertion were her pillars in inculcating responsibility. Her passion is being at the fore front in environmental protection and conservation in all spheres. Embarking on tree planting and solid waste management activities in her community, she was awarded the “most environmentally sensitive student during her undergraduate studies. This developed her interest to further investigate why the environment is usually neglected and find ways to move communities towards sustainable development. She has developed her skills over internship periods at National Environment Management Authority and Kenya Marine Fisheries Institute, where she was actively involved in community awareness programmes and compliance related issues. As a volunteer events’ organiser at Food sharing Edinburgh, she has managed to interact with the wider Edinburgh community. These events have also taught her money saving skills through planned food shopping and storage. Being in the spotlight has enabled her gain valuable leadership and communication skills over time as she strives to be a transformative leader. Her time in Edinburgh has enabled her realize multifaceted approaches towards life in general. The number of friends she has made through social events have greatly exposed her to a diversity of cultures while appreciating and embracing them. Especially at a time when the whole world seems to be unstable politically. Nonetheless, she believes that if change is to happen, then it would start with/ by her. You will always catch her doing what she knows best, playing lawn tennis, during her free time. She also has a great affinity to music and hopes to be a professional pianist in future. Her greatest desire is to create an impact wherever her foot steps on. Making Kenya and Africa as a whole develop sustainably are part of her plan by helping her peers, tomorrow’s leaders, rise above her and make lasting impressions amongst generations to come in all spheres of life.

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• Yamin Myo Nyunt

  Speaker

  Head of People Operations, Proximity Designs

  After receiving her bachelor’s degree from University of California-Los Angeles and her master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, Yamin returned to her home country to lead Proximity School, a corporate university that provides technical and soft skill trainings to hundreds of staff across rural Myanmar. Yamin has prior experience providing mental health services to individuals, couples, and families in California and in Myanmar. Whether it’s providing mental health counseling, or conducting trainings on a larger scale, Yamin’s passion lies in making a personal impact on people’s minds and paths, and helping maximize individuals’ potentials.

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