It’s Ladies First as African Utility Week Industry Awards Finalists Are Announced

Cape Town, South Africa, May 03, 2017 --(PR.com)-- 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 among 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

More awards finalists appear on the event website for the following categories:

- Young Energy Leader Award
- Power Utility of the Year
- Water Utility of the Year
- Large Scale Renewable Energy Project
- Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project
- Innovative Technology of the Year
- Deal of the Year

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.

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