Chairman
Hon. Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella is a distinguished development economist and an expert in agricultural economics with over 30 years of experience. Renowned for his global leadership in sustainable energy, he is currently Energy Sector Lead, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF) and Energy Governance Coordination Group (EGCG). He is also founder and CEO of The Energy Nexus Network (TENN), a regional ecosystem hub for sustainable energy solutions
Previously Dr. Yumkella served for two decades in the United Nations system including as Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and founding chief executive officer for the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Initiative (2013–2015). He also served two four-year terms as Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO, 2005–2013). In both capacities, among other accomplishments, Dr. Yumkella mobilized global consensus for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 9. Both goals deal with ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, and building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation, respectively. He was a former Member of Parliament in Sierra Leone and served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament.
He is a member of the High-Level Group of Personalities at the Africa-Europe Foundation and co-chair of the Africa Europe Foundation Strategy Group on Energy and co-chair of the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals. A member of pre-eminent global organizations, he is the recipient of numerous international awards. He also serves in various international advisory bodies, boards, and commissions. A former Member of Parliament in Sierra Leone who served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament, he holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois, M.Sc. Agricultural Economics, Cornell University; and a B.Sc. in General Agriculture, from Njala University College, Sierra Leone.