Our team
Sawa Energy and its partners have experience building solar systems, with over 90 deployments already operational. We have also completed 13MW of energy projects within East Africa.
Samuel Kaufman
Cofounder and CEO
Samuel is an investor and operator, with experience as the CIO for East African Power (EAP), a utility-scale renewable energy developer specializing in small-hydro and PV projects in emerging markets. At EAP, he led the corporate strategy and the fundraising, totaling over $30M in capital for projects in East Africa. Prior to joining EAP, he was an advisor at Techstars, a global seed investor with $500M AUM, and a Finance Manager at Real Ventures, the most active early-stage tech VC in Canada, where he managed the financial operations of funds totaling $330M. He started his career in audit and business valuation. Samuel holds a BA in business administration, a Masters in public accounting, and is a Canadian CPA.
Jordan Zipkin
Cofounder and CIO
Jordan is an active entrepreneur and investor in the climate tech space. Most recently, he led the restructuring of East African Power, supporting a $10M capital raise for projects across the region. He has advised and invested in energy startups across North America, Europe, and Africa. He was an Associate at Real Ventures, the most active early-stage tech VC in Canada with $330M AUM, and a General Manager for ML Partners, a health-tech & fin-tech PE firm, where he led a successful 200 employee healthcare venture. He also has experience leading startups in publishing, ed-tech, and logistics. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration, with majors in Math, Economics, and Business.
Edwin Oloo
Technical Lead
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Edwin is an experienced professional who has built his career in the Solar industry over the past 7 years. He has been involved in development and construction of over 15MW of PV and 8MWh BESS projects in East Africa. He was previously a Technical Manager for the solar developer DPA, overseeing their technical operations while deploying over 5MW of PV projects. Prior to this, he was the Technical Lead for OFGEN, a leading Kenyan EPC, where he led the construction of over 10MW of solar projects for over 15 clients. Edwin holds a BSc. degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and is a registered Graduate Engineer and Solar T3 Technician in Kenya.
Chiedza Mutseta
Head of Finance and Administration
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Chiedza is a seasoned Chartered Accountant with over a decade of experience. She has prior experience as Head of Africa Finance Operations at Bboxx, a company providing energy and other value added services. As the Head of Africa Finance Operations at Bboxx, Chiedza demonstrated her leadership prowess by overseeing finance operations across multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to her role at Bboxx, Chiedza worked at KPMG New Zealand and PwC, where she specialized in financial risk management, external audit, and transaction services. She has a BSc and a Post Grad Degree in Accounting from UNISA.
Eder Munyampenda
Rwanda Country Manager
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Eder is a seasoned engineer with experience in design and project supervision in large construction and engineering projects across Rwanda. He speaks fluent English, French, and Kinyarwanda and understands how to tap into his networks to generate key contacts. Eder utilizes these skills regularly at Sawa, as he manages new leads and supports project management. He grew up between Rwanda and Canada and completed his studies in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and London. Eder holds a BSc. in mechanical engineering, a Masters in renewable energy engineering, and is a member of the Africa Fellowship for Young Energy Leaders.
Allan Okello
Uganda Country Manager
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Allan is a business development professional with a background in the Ugandan solar industry, the tech-enabled travel sector, and most recently at Tukole. As general manager at Tukole, Allan led all elements of the facilities maintenance platform and blue-collar labor marketplace. Allan previously led BD efforts at Village Power Uganda, a leading last-mile solar home system provider in Uganda. He has experience delivering projects with at-risk populations, in refugee settings, in rural and urban areas as well as with schools and last-mile communities. Allan has also worked closely with UNICEF Zimbabwe and was previously a Board Member of the Uganda Solar Energy Association (USEA).
Elsa Izere
Senior Investment Manager
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Elsa is a seasoned investment professional with a focus on sustainable and climate investments within African emerging markets. She is proficient in the end-to-end investment cycle from sourcing to closing and post-investment monitoring. She previously worked at the Gabonese Sovereign Wealth Fund (1.8B AUM) where she managed a portfolio exceeding USD 100M overseeing investment, operations, post-investment support, and reporting. Elsa has climate finance experience including engaging carbon markets to commercialize the largest sovereign carbon credits issue and designing a Biodiversity Trust Fund. Elsa holds a bachelor degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign.
Sadiki Businge
Head of Commercial - Rwanda
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Sadiki is a natural-born entrepreneur with a strong passion for technology and renewable energy. With over a decade of experience working in commercial departments, he has helped several B2B global tech companies enter the markets of Rwanda and East Africa by acting as general manager and country manager. Over his 10 years of working experience, he has consistently hit sales targets and developed and executed effective business plans. Through his experiences. Sadiki has developed an expertise in opening doors, and developing partnerships, and has a deep understanding of business regulations and practicalities.
Moses Munyui
Head of Commercial - Uganda
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Moses Munyui is a business development specialist with over 10 years of experience in the renewable energy, FMCG, and financial services industries. He has a proven track record of developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies and hitting sales goals, including increasing revenue by 80% YoY and winning employee of the year at previous firms. Moses enjoys building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and negotiating and closing deals. Moses is a trained actuary from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya and is currently pursuing an MBA. His actuarial background provides Moses with a unique ability to quantify and assess risk, enabling him to develop data-driven strategies that drive business growth.
Caroline Wambui
Finance Manager
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Caroline is a Certified Public Accountant with seven years experience in finance and accounting within the energy sector and prior experience in a media house in East Africa. Caroline has expertise in financial reporting, management accounting, budgeting, forecasting, tax planning, audit, and project management. Throughout her career, she has consistently delivered impactful results. Caroline is a CPA-K, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics and is pursuing her Master’s Degree.
Ahab Etyang
Solar Asset Manager
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Ahab is a seasoned Solar Engineer with six years experience in C&I Solar Projects. He has participated in design, construction and commissioning of over 27 MWp Solar PV and Hybrid projects. Prior to Sawa Energy, Ahab worked with CP Solar and SkyEnergy where he has served as a Project Engineer and a Service Engineer where he managed Operations and Maintenance of over 85 sites. He has built and designed projects across East Africa. Ahab holds a BSc. In Renewable Energy Technology and currently pursuing MSc. in Renewable Energy Technology at Kenyatta University. He is a licensed T3 Solar PV Technician and a member of IET-Kenya.
Guillaume Charpenel
Cofounder and Board Member
Guillaume is an active entrepreneur, investor, and catalyst in the world of renewable energy and sustainability. He founded and led Solexium, one of the largest Solar Companies in Eastern Ontario, totaling 3MW across 70 clients. The firm diversified by developing its own assets and providing up to $1M in financing per project. He is an early investor in Canada’s largest kombucha brewery (fermented tea) and was instrumental in the launch of Hilo, the clean-tech spinoff of Canada’s largest utility. He was first exposed to the Rwandan solar market in 2020 while doing a market study for East African Power. He has advised a clean-tech fund, and firms in e-mobility, and renewable energy. Guillaume holds a B.eng in Mechanical engineering and an MBA.
