Sumaya Mahomed is a seasoned sustainable development and energy access expert with over 16 years of experience in renewable energy infrastructural projects. She established Wekeza Energy in 2018 and has led the Uganda Integrated Energy programme for four years, managing day-to-day operations, developing strategies, and managing stakeholders. Sumaya has contributed to the development of Isolated Grid Regulations in Uganda, making it more conducive for the adoption of mini-grids. Sumaya’s expertise spans technical implementation, strategy, policy, and business modeling, impacting Uganda’s policies to ensure integrated energy adoption.

Sumaya has also managed the City of Cape Town’s Energy Efficiency Demand Side Management program, which included renewable energy. This led to the piloting of one of the first captive solar projects and the development of Cape Town’s Small Scale Embedded Generation Guidelines. The City of Cape Town has won numerous awards, including ESKOM’s 2012 ETA Award and an honorary award from the World Green Building Council for Energy Efficiency. Sumaya was recognized as the best capital project manager in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and was the lead on C40’s Municipal Energy Efficiency Network. In 2022, she received the international award for best Energy Manager in Sub-Saharan Africa from the Association of Energy Engineers.

Sumaya continues to work on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and smart metering projects in South Africa and East Africa, ensuring efficient monitoring and utilization of energy in the built environment. She is a board member of the Institute of Energy Professionals Africa and Enlit Conference.