Former President Mandela’s PA Zelda la Grange guest speaker in Cape Town

This year’s African Utility Week Industry Awards in Cape Town on 17 May will have a distinctly feminine feel with an all women cast and a strong line-up of ladies amongst the finalists for the coveted awards for leading energy and water professionals.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela’s personal assistant, Zelda la Grange, is this year’s guest speaker at the awards. She currently serves as the Patron for the First for Women Foundation, is non-executive Director of the non-profit organisation Healing Hands and annually acts as a co-ordinator of Bikers for Mandela Day. 

The MC for the African Utility Week Industry Awards is Claire Mawisa, well-known media personality, broadcaster and Carte Blanche investigative journalist. Women are also well represented amongst the award finalists and this year four ladies grace the shortlist for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Huawei, the well-known global information and telecommunication giant, is the lead sponsor for the African Utility Week Industry Awards.

List of finalists
The fourth edition of the annual awards will once again honour pioneering utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industry on the continent. To reflect the evolution of the energy and water sectors, the following new categories are included this year:
- Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project (under 5MW)
- Innovative Technology of the Year
- Deal of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award
- Azeb Asnake, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Electric Power, Ethiopia
- Barry MacColl, General Manager: Research, Testing & Development, Eskom, South Africa
- Dale Robertson, President, Enerscan Consultants Ltd, Canada
- Des Muller, Chairman, NIASA Supply Chain Development Sub-Committee, South Africa
- H.E. Dr. Elham Mahmood Ahmed Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure & Energy, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
- Fred Kabagambe-Kaliisa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development, Uganda
- Grania Rosette Rubomboras, Programme Officer: Power Projects, Nile Basin Initiative NELSAP, Rwanda/Uganda
- Helen Tarnoy, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Aldwych International Ltd, United Kingdom
- Oladele Amoda, Managing Director & CEO at Eko Electricity Distribution PLC, Nigeria
- Wim Jonker Klunne, Programme Director: Energy & Environment Partnership Programme, Southern and East Africa 

Outstanding Contribution Award: Power
- Akon, Founder, Akon Lighting Africa, Various Countries
- Charlotte Aubin-Kalaidjian, Founding Partner, GreenWish Partners, France, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria
- Hendrik Schloemann, Founder & CEO, Zonke Energy, South Africa     
- Lovemore Chilimanzi, Technical Director, Africa GreenCo, South Africa
- Michael Gratwicke, Head of Energy, Rift Valley Energy, Tanzania & Zimbabwe
- Sicelo Goodwill Xulu, Managing Director, City Power, South Africa        

Outstanding Contribution Award: Water
- Chris Heymans, Senior Water & Sanitation Specialist, World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme, Kenya
- Joyce Msiru, Chief Executive Officer, Moshi Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority, Tanzania
- Philip Gichuki, Managing Director, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, Kenya
- Silver Mugisha, Managing Director, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda
- Yolandi Schoeman, Managing Director, Baoberry, South Africa            

Outstanding Woman of the Year: Power/Water
- Agatha Nnaji, Managing Director, Geometric Power, Nigeria    
- Azeb Asnake, Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Electric Power, Ethiopia       
- Chantelle Abdul, Chief Executive Officer, MOJEC Meter Company & MOJEC Power, Nigeria   
- Eunice Ntobedzi, Innovator, EmPowered, Botswana      
- Rethabile Melamu, General Manager, Green Economy, South Africa    
- Rose Kaggwa, Director: Business and Scientific Services, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda         
- Sandisiwe Ncemane, Manager: Business Development - Energy Projects, Coega Development Corporation, South Africa  
- Subha Nagarajan, Managing Director, OPIC, Côte d'Ivoire         

Young Energy Leader Award
- Astria Fataki, President, Energy Development, France/Togo
- Beatrice Muthoni, Renewable Energy Consultant, KTDA Power Company, Kenya       
- Faith Chege, East African Regional Associate, Factor[e] Ventures, Kenya      
- Fatima Oyiza Ademoh, Founder & CEO, Ajima Youth Empowerment Foundation, Nigeria
- Paseka Lesolang, Founder, Water Hygiene Convenience, South Africa 
- Samir Ibrahim, CEO & Co-Founder, SunCulture, Kenya   

Power Utility of the Year
- Ethiopian Electric Power, Ethiopia
- Geothermal Development Company, Kenya
- KenGen, Kenya
- Rwanda Energy Group Limited, Rwanda

Water Utility of the Year
- Lilongwe Water Board, Malawi
- Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company, Kenya
- National Water & Sewerage Corporation, Uganda
- ONEA, Burkina Faso  

Large Scale Renewable Energy Project
- Bokpoort CSP Power Plant, ACWA Power, South Africa
- Gilgel Gibe III, Ethiopia
- NOORo, Morocco
- Senergy 2 solar PV plant, GreenWish Partners, Senegal
- Solar Capital De Aar 3 PV project, Phelan Energy Group, South Africa 

Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project
- Off-Grid Pay-as-you-go Solar Home Systems, Mobisol, East Africa
- Kwa Mtoro, E.ON Off-Grid Solutions GmbH / Rafiki Power, Tanzania
- Mwenga Hydro Ltd, Rift Valley Energy, Tanzania
- PayGo Solar Home Systems, Azuri Technologies, Kenya
- Solar Turtle, South Africa
- Stortemelk Hydro, Renewable Energy Holdings, South Africa 

Innovative Technology of the Year
- Asset Management Framework, Globeleq South Africa Management Services, South Africa
- Gou Tou Prepayment Project, Umeme Limited, Uganda
- Ikeja Smart Metering Project, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Nigeria
- Jisomee Mita, Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company, Kenya
- Solar Turtle, South Africa 

Deal of the Year
- 100MW Kathu Solar Park project, Engie, South Africa
- Innovative Solar Systems, Lumos Global, Nigeria
- Lubilia Kawembe Hydro Ltd, FMO, Netherlands
- Senergy 2 solar PV plant, GreenWish Partners, Senegal
- ZESCO New Electricity Connections, Standard Chartered Bank/USAID, Zambia 

Leading water and energy platform
African Utility Week takes place from 16-18 May 2017 at the CTICC in Cape Town, gathering over 7000 decision makers in the power and water sectors from more than 40 countries to source the latest solutions and meet over 300 suppliers. The expo will feature free to attend technical workshops and technology demonstrations. The event has won the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) award for the Best Trade Exhibition 6001-12000 sqm category. Part of the event is Energy Revolution Africa, a new platform for community scale projects, which will provide a unique forum for solution providers to meet with the new energy purchasers such as metros and municipalities, IPPs, rural electrification project developers and large power users, including mines, commercial property developers and industrial manufacturers.

African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa are organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Agritech Expo Tanzania, CBM-TEC, Kenya Mining Forum, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), iPAD Nigeria Mining Forum, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.

Dates for African Utility Week and Energy Revolution Africa:
Conference and expo: 16-18 May 2017
Awards gala dinner:  17 May 2017
Site visits: 19 May 2017 Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-utility-week.com    
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities   
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
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