SDG SynergyFellows
Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals across various sectors and communities
Vayanga Donzo
SDG Fellow
Vayanga Donzo is passionate about environmental issues related to climate change, biodiversity conservation, project management and monitoring and evaluation. He is currently enrolled in two ( 2) master's programs, one in Migratory Cooperation and Local Development at the Université Général Lansana Conté de Sonfonia, where he is conducting research on plastic waste management in the Republic of Guinea, the case of the city of Conakry, and the other on project management at the International University of Switzerland. Mr. Vayanga Donzo has over six (6) years of experience as a young climate activist, community project manager and research associate. He has participated in high-level national, regional and international conferences (COP-21, COP-27, African Climate Week, Regional Climate Camp, Nairobi Summer School on Climate Justice, Regional Coastal and Marine Forum 2024, AFSA Youth Summit on Food Systems and Agroecology...). Professionally, he is the representative of several international organizations in Guinea, including : Executive Director of the Association des Jeunes Dynamiques pour le Développement Durable, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the World Bank Guinea Youth Network ( RJBMG), National Representative of Cub Encore de L'Inde in Guinea, National Co-coordinator of the International Federation of Youth United for Water and Climate ( UN1FY) in Guinea, Coordinator of the Green Initiative in Guinea, Fellow of the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) where he researched how to “Optimize synergies between forest landscape restoration and climate-smart livestock practices in the Republic of Guinea” and is currently working as a project assistant at GreenTransformation2050 in Guinea.
Tizgowere Msiska
SDG Fellow
Tizgowere Msiska is a Malawian researcher in climate and policy, governance, peacebuilding, gender and women empowerment, and informal sector. He was born on the 6th of October 1987. His research experience spans 8 years, having worked in different capacities ranging from research assistant to lead researcher. He has so far co-authored a research paper on; ‘How Gender Norms Contribute to Gender-based Violence in the workplace in Malawi’, published in 2021, and also took the role of a principal researcher in a research titled ‘Resolving Tax Disputes: Market Vendors and Councils in Malawi’, published in 2024. Tizgowere’s professional research career began when he joined a local non-governmental organization known as Revolution Human Aid and Transparency Initiative (REHAAT) in 2015, an organization he currently leads. He has keen interest in integrating research with policy. He is a human rights activist, development practitioner and researcher. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from University of Malawi and a Master of Business Administration qualification from Amity University of India.
Prof. Joshia Otieno Osamba
SDG Fellow
Prof. Joshia Otieno Osamba is a Kenyan national. He is an educationist who has served at all levels of Kenya’s education system ranging from primary school to university. He holds a Bachelor of Education (Arts) from Kenyatta University, Kenya and a Master of Philosophy in History from Moi University in Kenya. He obtained a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, USA, under a Fulbright Scholarship. Prof. Osamba has thirty-one years teaching experience at the university level locally and abroad. He taught for 23 years at Egerton University and eight years at Karatina University, both located in Kenya, where he held the position of Chairman of Department and also diligently served in various University Committees. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA. Currently, Prof. Osamba holds the position of Technical Coordinator at Grassroots Impact Centre-Sondu, Kisumu County, Kenya; a community based organization involved in community empowerment, peacebuilding and sustainable development. He is an active member of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), the International Study Association and the Historical Association of Kenya. His areas of research interest are governance, conflict resolution, African indigenous institutions, and climate change. He is a Fellow at the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN).
Frank George Mgungwe
SDG Fellow
Frank George Mgungwe is a Malawian legal scholar and researcher whose work explores the intersections of human rights law, public international law, governance, and social transformation in Africa. He serves as Human Rights lecturer at the University of Livingstonia, Malawi, where he teaches courses in human rights, international law and governance. He combines these as lens for studying African Indigenous Knowledge System (AIKS). He holds a Master of Laws (LLM) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws from the University of London (UCL, London), achieved under the Canon Collins Law Scholarship Scheme. Frank also holds a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Nottingham, earned through the Commonwealth Scholarship program, and a Bachelor of Education from Mzuzu University. Frank’s research also spans last-mile communities, women’s empowerment, youth justice, rights of the child law, family law, rural development, and the intersection of traditional knowledge and sustainability. He is passionate about advancing community-driven development and social justice in Africa through transformative research. Frank is committed to producing policy-relevant research and contributing to Malawi’s Vision 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through teaching, advocacy, and inclusive knowledge production through research. He is a Don Lavoie Fellow in Political Economy (USA), a member of British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) research, Nairobi, Kenya, a member of Malawi-China Research Network (MCRN), a member of International Association for Community Development – IACD, and a contributor to the IACD Practice Insights Magazine for Community Development. As a change maker, he also engages in development initiatives addressing climate change, human rights, and gender equity.
Kaleb Mwendwa Adamba
SDG Fellow
Kaleb Mwendwa Adamba is an MPhil. Forestry/Soil Science (Moi University/Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER)/ University of Aberystwyth, Wales, United Kingdom) and. BSc. Forestry (Moi University) and also holds a Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE-Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology-MMUST). Currently he is the Grants Officer of MMUST managing a portfolio of grants. He is a Ph.D. Thesis write-up stage student in the Dept. of Disaster Management and Sustainable Development (DMSD-MMUST) studying “Influence of Drought on Household Resilience to Food Insecurity in Turkana County, Kenya”. He is a senior academic and researcher with over 30 years of working experience acquired across a wide range within the forestry/conservation sector, Agroforestry/soil science research, education sector, public sector, civil society, and quasi-government organizations. He has extensive project management skills by designing and executing a wide range of research and programmes in the capacity building areas of Natural Resources Management, Agroforestry, Agriculture, Sustainable Land Management (SLM), Biodiversity Conservation, Disaster Management and Renewable Energy and has demonstrated skills in Grants proposal writing, quantitative and qualitative research, participatory methods, report writing, journal publications and higher education teaching. Kaleb has obtained several micro-credentials in Research Management from University of Witwatersrand-SA. Kaleb is a Fellow of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA-https://www.iaea.org-Soil Science), American Association of Geographers (AAG- https://www.aag.org-GIS) and WWF-Russell E. Foundation (www.worldwildlife.org -Ocean Policy & Governance). He is also a winner of 2 scholarships in his career (Moi University-Kenya and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology-Zurich). He has held management positions e.g., Centre Director for KEFRI-Coast Regional Research Centre; Executive Director, Kenya Marine Forum (NGO-Coast Region Kenya) and Director, Centre for Kakamega Tropical Forest Studies (CEKATFOS-MMUST). Kaleb has served internationally in the Philippines as a Coastal Resources Management Advisor, for the Muslim Christian Agency for Advocacy Relief and Development (MUCAARD-POM) through VSO Jitolee-Kenya.
Dr.Arouna ASSOUMA
SDG Fellow
Dr.Arouna ASSOUMA is an Agricultural Economist with a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics. Dr. Arouna ASSOUMA holds a Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics. He has over ten years of experience developing projects, designing development, climate change, and Monitoring & Impact evaluation of projects/programs. He is also an intern lecturer in the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Human Sciences at the University of Parakou in Benin. Dr. ASSOUMA is a member of AfricClimActiv Research project for climate change and obtained a grant from Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) to assess the impact of climate-smart livestock on food security.Dr. Arouna ASSOUMA has experience as an agricultural advisor providing meteorological information to smallholders, and a Digital Business Coach for over 5 years, supporting Small and Medium Enterprises. Dr. ASSOUMA is a data analyst. He conducts data collection, data analysis, and reports. He is also a Monitoring and Evaluation projects/programs specialist. He masters data collection and analysis tools such as KoboToolbox, R, Stata, SPSS, and Power BI very well. Data analysis methods such as linear regression, logit, probit, propensity score matching, Difference in Difference, Endogenous Switching Regression, and Best-Worst Scaling are often used every time.His PhD research topic is Agribusiness Clusters' impact evaluation on performance economics. Given this topic and his professional experiences, Dr. ASSOUMA has a solid background in impact evaluation and climate change in the Agricultural field.Dr. ASSOUMA has a wide range of knowledge in several fields, including Agribusiness Clusters, Climate change, environment economics, agro-pastoral economy, marketing circuits, agricultural value chains, SME Loop business coaching, and business plan writing for entrepreneurs
Peters Onyilo
SDG Fellow
Peters Onyilo is a Mathematician with specialization in Optimization and a self-thought computer programmer with research the intersection of AI and society as it relates to public health, climate change and work force. His interest includes AI equity, how errors propagate in AI systems and inclusive technologies for bridging digital gap. Peters is a member of Mathematical Association of America, America Physical Society and Oxford Philosophical society.
Paul Okello Atieno
SDG Fellow
Paul Okello Atieno is currently a High School Principal and a PhD holder from Kisii University in Development Studies in December 2024. He has 31 years of experience in teaching, mentoring, coaching and training of learners and teachers. He has interests in education management, project management, conflict management and community development. He has published articles on Peace and conflict management, self-help groups, sustainable community development and grassroots’ community engagement and development. He is a full member of The Kenya Institute of Management, Red Cross Society of Kenya, Gusii Mediators’ Association and Kenya secondary schools’ sports association. He has presented research articles at international and national conferences and his published works in refereed journals include; Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, Journal of Studies in Social Sciences,, World Scientific Research, World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Sciences and Lambert Academic Publishing among others.
Dr. Rael Teresa Adhiambo
SDG Fellow
Dr. Rael Teresa Adhiambo is an Environmental Scientist at Kenya’s National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), where she supports evidence-informed policymaking on climate change, environmental sustainability, and adaptation research. She holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography and Limnology, with her research exploring the impacts of climate change on tropical coastal ecosystems. Her work lies at the intersection of science and policy, advocating for justice-oriented adaptation strategies that elevate African research leadership, local knowledge systems, and inclusive governance. Through the ARIN Fellowship, she aims to strengthen the policy-research nexus to address Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) trade-offs and synergies in climate-smart livestock management in Kenya, contributing to more integrated and sustainable adaptation pathways.
Dr. Richard Juma
SDG Fellow
Dr. Richard Juma is a career teacher/trainer with strong national and interdisciplinary work experience. His interests and experience include psychometrics, research, strategic management and leadership especially with the inter-linkages between emerging and re-emerging issues in training, educational leadership and psychological research and wellness. He has specialist training in human capital management, strategic leadership, corporate governance, e-leaning management systems, drug abuse, HIV testing and counseling. His career aspiration is to serve as a strategic academic leader, researcher and mentor contributing to the psychological wellness within a holistic and impactful education systems.
Jane Jerop Atuta
SDG Fellow
Jane is an Economist with the Government of Kenya tasked with responsibility of Guiding Economic policy formulation, Economic Research and Analysis, Policy evaluation, Forecasting of Economic projections and monitoring and reporting of government projects and programs. She is Currently responsible for the coordination of SDGs to promote sustainable development through the formulation of evidence-based policies that aim to improve the living standards and welfare of the Kenyan people. She oversees the integration, monitoring, and national alignment of Sustainable Development Goals. In this capacity, Jane leads policy analysis, prepares data-driven progress reports, and engages with stakeholders across government, private sector, civil society, and international platforms. Her responsibilities include supporting the Government to meet the international obligation in regards to SDGs. The key thematic areas include: • Mainstreaming of SDGs though the planning and development frameworks • Tracking and Reporting of SDGs; VNRs, Status Reports • SDGs Stakeholder engagement • Policy Formulation • Capacity Building on Sustainable Development • Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) • Kenya Vision 2030 Prior to her current role, Jane held senior positions in the financial sector, including: • Account Manager, Fiber-to-the-Building, Telkom Kenya • Team Leader, Corporate Staff Scheme Loans, Guaranty Trust Bank • Relationship Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank and Equity Bank She earned both an MA in Economics (2015–2018) and a Bachelor in Economics & Statistics (2009–2013, Second Class Upper Division) from the University of Nairobi, and completed Section I of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification. Jane possesses advanced analytical skills in SPSS, STATA, R-GUI, and Microsoft Office, and is fluent in English and Kiswahili.