Clifford J. Aron is an energy finance professional with more than 40 years of experience who offers a diverse career as a business entrepreneur and clean energy sector specialist encompassing all aspects of management, marketing, project finance, policy and regulatory affairs. He is recognized as a leading expert on the development of renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access in emerging markets. At GreenMax, he supervises all of the firm’s consulting, transaction advisory and fund management activities. Cliff is also a leading advisor to global investors on sustainable energy investments, having advised dozens of private investors on solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass and wind power investments in emerging markets across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia totaling several thousand MW of generating capacity. In the African off-grid sector, he is leading the development of two seminal energy access initiatives – the Green-for-Access First Loss Facility (G4A) and the GreenStreet Africa Development Company. He is also supervising the GreenMax team implementing the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation. An honors graduate in Political Science and International Relations from the State University of New York at Binghamton, Cliff continued his graduate studies at the New School for Social Research, Baruch College and the Parsons School of Design. He speaks Polish and reads French, Spanish and German.

Shelmith Theuri is a banking, finance and impact investment professional with over a decade of experience in East and Southern Africa. At GreenMax, she is leading the implementation of the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation. Shelmith has extensive experience financing energy access and clean energy businesses and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, including origination, analysis of the financial and commercial viability of the enterprises, structuring and negotiation, fundraising, and portfolio management. She has a strong track record of providing technical support to off-grid energy access companies. Prior to joining GreenMax, Shelmith worked for the Power Africa Off-Grid Project, first as a market development advisor, and subsequently as lead advisor in Kenya. Previously, she worked in the Kenyan banking sector in credit risk and management positions at Barclays Kenya, Ecobank and Credit Bank Kenya Limited. She currently serves as an Investment Committee Member of the Renewable Energy Performance Platform, where she supports decisions in financing renewable energy projects of up to 25MW across Sub-Saharan Africa. Shelmith holds an M.B.A. from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain and a Bachelor of Commerce in Financefrom the University of Nairobi. She is fluent in English and Kiswahili.

Daniel Kitwa is an impact-focused investment professional with nearly a decade of experience in sustainable energy, finance, and international development, specializing in project finance, multi-asset class investments (debt/equity/RBF grants), deal-risk assessment and structuring, financial modeling, business model advisory, technical assistance, project design and implementation. At GreenMax, Daniel is leading the implementation of the RBF component of the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation. Prior to joining GreenMax, Daniel worked for Intellecap, where he provided technical advisory support across various sectors in East Africa, including solar and e-mobility. As a financial management specialist, he has offered capacity building and technical assistance to more than 20 solar companies on behalf of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF). He also previously served as an advisor to the Africa Mini Grid Developers Association (AMDA), where he supported the initial design of the Universal Electrification Facility, a results-based financing facility for the mini-grid sector managed by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). Daniel holds a B.Sc. in Applied Accounting and Finance from Oxford Brookes University in England and a B.Sc. in Electronic and Computer Engineering from Jomo Kenyatta University in Kenya. He is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has completed the CFA Level 1 qualification. In 2022, Daniel was recognized by the annual publication, Global Power & Energy Elites, for his impact and leadership in the energy sector. He is fluent in English and Swahili.

Ifechukwude Uwajeh has more than a decade of experience leading both on-grid and off-grid renewable energy project development and power sector planning in Africa. As the Director of GreenMax’s Africa Transaction Advisory Group, he supervises the GreenMax Africa team and provides financial and transaction advisory services in support of clean energy project development across the region, including solar PV, solar hybrid, wind, and small hydropower technologies. Ifechukwude’s skills include renewable energy project finance, project management, contract structuring and negotiation, energy sector economics, policy and regulation, and infrastructure finance. He is also leading GreenMax’s launch of the GreenStreet Africa Development Company in Nigeria. Ifechukwude holds a M.Sc. in Process Systems Engineering from Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, U.K., a Certificate in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, a Certificate of Excellence in Power Sector Regulation from the Florence School of Regulation, Robert Schuman School of Advanced Studies, and a Certificate in Business and Financial Modeling from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.

Robert Wangoe has a decade of experience in the development sector, including five years in Tanzania engaged in the development and operation of green mini-grids. At GreenMax, he manages the technical assistance component of the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation. Previously, Robert was involved in strategic consulting and business development across multiple renewable energy organizations in Kenya and Tanzania. He has consulted for a World Bank-funded renewable energy project focusing on hybrid power projects and off-grid lighting in East Africa. He has also supported off-grid renewable energy project development in East, Central, and Southern Africa through strategy development, product development, business management and sales. Additionally, Robert has provided capacity building to renewable energy start-ups developing and operating hybrid power systems in the areas of productive use of energy, marketing, strategic advisory, business plan development, market entry strategy formulation and supervision. In addition to JUMEME Rural Power Supply, he has also advised RiverCross Tracking Limited, Yok Consulting and Samahi Research, among other clients. Robert holds a M.Sc. in Economics from the University Umea in Sweden. He is fluent in English and Kiswahili.

Kokou Lagassou has 10 years of professional experience in international cooperation, rural electrification, and renewable energy. At GreenMax, he is supporting the design and implementation of the Smart Outcomes component of the CEI Africa Foundation RBF window as a Senior Advisor on productive use of energy (PUE). Prior to joining GreenMax, Kokou served as Rural Electrification Advisor at GiZ in Benin and Togo, where he focused on the development of grid extension, off-grid solar and PUE strategies. At GiZ, he helped design and establish a new RBF grants program for PUE. Kokou holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Energy and Renewable Energies from the Institut International d’Ingénierie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement (2iE) in Burkina Faso. He is fluent in English and French.

Jossart Zozo Murhula is a risk and investment professional with more than 4 years of experience in the finance sector. At GreenMax, he is supporting the implementation of the RBF window of the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation, which provides financing and technical assistance to green mini-grid developers, off-grid solar companies and standalone productive use of energy enterprises in Africa. Jossart previously worked for three years at the African Guarantee Fund, holding various positions on the Risk Management team. Earlier, he worked as a Project Finance Assistant for ASOP Congo and as a Brand Ambassador for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Jossart is completing a M.Sc. in Development Finance from Strathmore University Business School in Nairobi, Kenya and earned a B.B.A. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Kenya. He is fluent in English and French, and proficient in Swahili.

Cynthia Opakas is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with five years of legal experience in dispute resolution, energy, and natural resource law. At GreenMax, among other legal support, she is leading preparation of grant and concessional loan agreements for the implementation of the RBF window of the KfW Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (CEI Africa) Foundation, which provides financing and technical assistance to green mini-grid developers, off-grid solar companies and standalone productive use of energy enterprises in Africa. Cynthia previously worked as an Associate in Energy and Natural Resources for the Kenyan law firm, TripleOKLaw Advocates LLP. She is a trained expert in the areas of energy and mineral law, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a mediator with the Kenyan judiciary. Cynthia has an LL.M. in International Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee in the U.K., a Post Graduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and a LL.B. from Moi University in Kenya. Cynthia has also completed professional training in energy access from the Open Africa Power Programme of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, in power sector regulation from the Florence School of Regulation, and holds a Certificate in Climate Change Studies from the Oxford Climate Society. She is fluent in English and Swahili.