OUR TEAM
Prof. Alice Odingo
Alice Atieno Oluoko-Odingo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Population and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi. She holds an Honors undergraduate Degree in Geography, a Master of Arts, and a Ph.D. in agricultural geography from the University of Nairobi. She is one of the founding members of the Maasai Mara Science and Development Initiative. She has worked with UNEP on sustainable consumption policies and at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre on gender integration and disaster risk reduction. Odingo previously served as Deputy Chairperson of the United Nations University and Partner Universities' "Education for Sustainable Development in Africa, Next Generation Researchers" programme and as an elected Board member of the global Association of Women's Rights in Development.
Dr. Jackline Nyerere
Jackline Nyerere is a Senior Lecturer of Educational Leadership and Policy at Kenyatta University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy from Kenyatta University, Kenya and professional training in Higher Education Leadership and Management from Carl Von Ossienzky University of Oldenburg, Germany. Jackline is currently a co-investigator in the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (Climate-U) project. She has served as co-chair of the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa Next Generation Researchers. Her focus is on education for sustainable development and the internationalisation of education. Her recent studies include the role of higher education in rural and urban development, the role of higher education in building a sustainable African Society, and the construction and governance of transnational higher education research collaborations.
Dr. Wilson Mutuma
Wilson Mutuma is a Lecturer of Educational Economics, Policy and Planning at Kenyatta University, School of Education. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Economics of Education and Educational Planning from Kenyatta University, Kenya. Currently, Wilson is a researcher in the project ‘What Works for Women Economic Empowerment’ (WWWEE-KU Hub); and Climate-U Project on ‘Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate’. He is a member of the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa Next Generation Researchers network as well as Kenya Universities Quality Assurance Network (KUQAN). Wilson is also a reviewer in a number of journals including, The Tuning Journal of Higher Education and The Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM). His research interest include education for sustainable development, quality assurance in higher education among other areas.
Dr. Purity Muthoni
Purity Muthoni is a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Planning and Management at Kenyatta University, Kenya. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning and Management. Purity is a researcher in the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate project. She is a member of the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa Next Generation Researchers network. Her areas of expertise include environmental planning, Environmental Impact Assessment/audit, governance and sustainability and climate change vulnerability and resilience.
Dr. Godwin Opinde
Godwin Opinde is a lecturer in the Department of Spatial & Environmental Planning at Kenyatta University. He holds a PhD in Environmental Planning and Management. Godwin’s areas of research interest include but not limited to climate change adaptation and mitigation, air quality management, transport planning, waste management, environmental governance and impact assessment. He is a researcher in the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate project. A member of the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa Next Generation Researchers network. His has international & local experience in environmental matters having served in public service, civil society and academia.
Dr. Farai Kapfudzaruwa
Dr. Farai Kapfudzaruwa is a Research and Strategic Partnerships Manager at Future Africa, University of Pretoria. Prior to that, he was a Grants and Strategic Partnerships Specialist in the Department of Research and Innovation at the University of Pretoria (UP). His main responsibility is facilitating global partnerships through the University’s transformative global engagement strategy – the African Global University Project (AGUP). Before joining UP, he was a programme coordinator for the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) initiative initiated by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced S tudy of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) in Tokyo, Japan.
From 2016-2017, Farai was a JSPS UNU Postdoctoral fellow at UNU-IAS. His postdoctoral research focused on the 2030 Agenda (SDGs), with particular emphasis on governance and linking the global vision with national implementation strategies in the Asia-Pacific and Africa. Before joining the United Nations University, Farai was an Old Mutual Emerging Markets lecturer at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town for three years. In addition to this, he also worked as a consultant on projects related to inclusive business models, energy efficiency, environmental management and climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa for organizations such as UNDP and GIZ.
Dr. Farai Kapfudzaruwa holds a Ph.D. in Business and Political Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His thesis explored the business contributions to climate change governance in areas of limited statehood in the case of South Africa and Kenya.
Dr. Orleans Mfune
Orleans Mfune is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Zambia. He is currently on secondment at the Zambia Higher Education Authority where he holds the position of Manager- Standards, Research & Institutional Audits. Orleans holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, a Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Human Ecology Degree from Vrije Universiteit Brussels in Belgium and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Zambia. He was the founding chairperson of the ESDA Next Generation Researchers (NGR) Network, a programme supported by the United Nations University. He also held the positions of Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Assistant Dean (Research) of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Zambia. Orleans’ research work focuses on land resources governance, renewable energy resources, rural-urban linkages and sustainable development.
Dr. Gerald Yiran
Gerald Yiran is an Associate Professor at the University of Ghana. His qualifications include a Ph.D. in Geography and Resource Development, a Master's in Geography and Resource Developments, and a BSc in Geodetic Engineering. Yiran is the Country Coordinator (UG), Next Generation of Researchers (NGR-Africa); a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), Ghana Geographical Association, the Ghana Environment Information Network Steering Committee, ECOHEALTH, and the Environment and Natural Resources Research Unit; and a fellow at the Centre for Urban Management Studies. His areas of specialisation include geographic information systems/remote sensing; vulnerability/adaptation to climate variability change; land degradation/land use and land cover change; sustainability studies; urban studies; and quantitative research methods.
Dr. Camillus Wongnaa
Camillus Abawiera Wongnaa holds a PhD. Agricultural Economics degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana, an MPhil. Agricultural Economics degree from the University of Ghana, Legon, a BSc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics option) degree from the KNUST and a Diploma in Education from the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and an Agricultural Economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension of KNUST. He is a member of Ghana Association of Agricultural Economists, African Association of Agricultural Economists, International Association of Agricultural Economists, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and a Fellow of Africa Research and Impact Network.
Dr. Nashiru Sulemana
Dr. Nashiru Sulemana is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Innovation Communication, University for Development Studies, Ghana. He holds Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and MSc in Management of Agro-ecological Knowledge and Social Change from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He also holds BSc in Agriculture from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. His research interests include Sociology of Rural and Agricultural Development, Land Acquisitions and Impacts on Smallholder Agriculture, and Sustainable Development in Africa. He was the Co-chair of the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) Next Generations Researchers’ (NGR) group. Dr. Sulemana is currently the Deputy Director in charge of Documentation and Resources Mobilisation at the Directorate of Community Relations and Outreach Programmes, University for Development Studies.
Jeremy Kaburu
Jeremy Kaburu holds a Masters degree in Sustainable Urban Development from Kenyatta University. His research interest is in sustainable urban development, biodiversity conservation and environmental education. Jeremy's recent study was on the assessment of adaptive strategies to flood challenges in Mukuru slum in Nairobi City County, Kenya. He works as a Research Associate for the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate research project in Kenya.
Dr. Olushola Fadairo
Olushola Fadairo is a university lecturer, researcher, and consultant in sustainable rural development, agricultural extension, project management/evaluation, and policy issues in agriculture. His major research and consultancy areas of expertise and interest include process documentation of community development interventions with a focus on social inclusion and sustainability indicators; outcome mapping of rural and agricultural development projects, including policy. In recent years, he has provided consultancy services to World Bank-assisted projects on process documentation study and beneficiary impact assessment of their micro-projects in Nigeria, USAID MARKETS II on maize/cassava outgrower scheme in Oyo State and for IITA, on its Cassava and Maize Value Chain projects.
Academically, Olushola holds a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria; Master's and Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development from the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2016. He is a member of the United Nations University-Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (UNU-ESDA) team. In terms of work experience, Olushola had a stint as a programme officer and later as a training manager with private establishments in Nigeria before joining the services of the University of Ibadan in 2010 as a Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. As a proponent of the town and gown interrelationships, he coordinates the professional masters in Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (a mainly field-based capacity-building course for agriculture and rural development workers) at the UI Center for Sustainable Development. He practices market gardening and enjoys traveling. Olushola is a member of the Agricultural Extension Society of Nigeria (AESON), Rural Sociological Association of Nigeria (RuSAN) and the International Society for Development and Sustainability, in Japan. He has published widely in refereed academic journals and conference proceedings including blog articles and opinion editorials (Op-Eds) for his non-research audience.