Melusile Ndlovu

Senior Technical Advisor on the regional project "Accelerating the Energy Transition in Africa" supports key strategic initiatives of the African Union (AU), particularly the integration of continental power market systems (African Single Electricity Market, AfSEM) and continental power system master planning (CMP). The regional project is embedded in the dialogue within the framework of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) and contributes to the strategic orientation of the Team Europe Initiative "Africa-EU Initiative for Green Energy" (AEGEI). Responsibilities: -
-Supporting AUDA-NEPAD to strengthen capacities to accelerate the neegry transition through support preparation activities, project pipeline development, enabling financial investments and private sector participation.

As the Decarbonisation Lead and Interim Deputy Chief of Party-Technical on the five-year USAID/
Empower Southern Africa Programme which aimed to increase access to electricity from renewable
sources, reduce energy poverty, accelerate decarbonisation, and foster innovation in thirteen countries
in Southern Africa. I performed the following functions:
• Project Management: Managed and coordinated technical assistance for large-scale energy
projects (>20 MW), including solar PV, wind, hydropower, battery energy storage systems (BESS),
clean natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and advancing transmission infrastructure
(including, interconnection transmission development across national boundaries).
• Strategic Planning: Identified, designed, and prioritized work plan activities aligned with contract
and strategic objectives.
• Team Supervision: Supervised technical team leads and project implementation specialists to
ensure effective technical implementation. Leadership Collaboration: Worked with senior leadership to ensure timely delivery of assistance to
country action plans and work plan activities. Matrix Management: Prioritizing and assigning technical scopes of work for efficient delivery. Consortium Coordination: Ensured long-term consortium partners delivered technical assistance
across program objectives. Electric Mobility Adoption Support: Supported the expansion of electric vehicle adoption in
various countries by working with regulatory authorities and utilities. Collaborative Approach: Fostered collaboration with subcontractors to deliver technical assistance
on energy sector planning, energy transition, clean energy procurement, and regional coordination.
• Tariff Design Support: Supervised the delivery of cost-reflective electricity tariff design support to
energy regulatory authorities.
• MEL & GESI Integration: Liaised with monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and gender, equity
and social inclusion (GESI) teams to ensure technical activities were properly set up and measured for
contribution to activity targets, including GESI goals.

In my position as the Deputy Chief of Party: Technical I was tasked with supporting the project team in
the successful implementation of all aspects of the Projects Work Plan and achievement of the project
objectives. Below is a summary of my work experience on the SAEP Program:
• Leadership & Management: Successfully led and managed staff performance in line with the
projects work plan and policies.
• Relationship Building: Developed and maintained productive relationships with project colleagues,
USAID, counterparts, beneficiaries, the South African private sector, and government entities.
• Liaison: Coordinated effectively with senior project management, the PMO, and USAID divisions on
work plan implementation.
• Compliance & Documentation: Ensured all scheduling, budgeting, technical, and documentary
aspects of the work plan were up-to-date and compliant with USAID and project policies.
• Collaboration: Promoted inter- and intra-component collaboration within the project, including
monitoring and evaluation, training, public awareness, and other cross-cutting actions.

In my role with the Absa Group, I focused on energy and environmental sustainability within the
operations of the banks property portfolio. I gained extensive experience in energy and demand-side
management for real estate infrastructure, focusing on sustainability and compliance with engineering
standards. In this role I implemented the below activities:
• Leadership in Energy Strategy: Successfully developed and implemented commercial strategies
reducing energy consumption by 4.3% (250 MWh) equivalent to R6 million for the 2022/23 financial
year and cutting carbon emissions by 5.5% aligned with the Groups net zero strategy.
• Portfolio Management: Managed significant energy investments for the installation of solar PV and
battery energy storage systems on the banks facilities ensuring cost-effectiveness and operational
excellence.
• Collaboration Across Functions: Successfully worked with cross-functional teams, including,
Corporate Investment Banking, Relationship Banking, Legal, Operations, Procurement, Risk
Management, Group Functions & Oversight, Group Risk Sustainability, to advance the Banks
strategies.
• Research and Implementation: Led research, planning, and the implementation of innovative
energy practices to meet Absas sustainability goals. For example, the integration of solar PV and
battery energy storage systems (BESS) across multiple facilities which led to the reduction in energy
consumption and significantly reduced the banks carbon footprint.
• Technical Oversight: Providing technical input on energy projects, especially solar PV and BESS. I
managed the selection and analysis of alternative energy solutions per facility, ensuring the adoption
of the most cost-effective and efficient technologies.
• Energy Management: Managing energy monitoring, verification, reporting, auditing, and
procurement activities.
• Industry Leadership: Acting as Absas industry voice on sustainability, contributing to thought
leadership and industry initiatives through networks such as the Banking Association of South Africa
(BASA).
• Budget Management: Ensuring resources allocated to sustainability projects are utilized effectively
by managing the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) budget allocation against project implementation.
• Reporting and Analytics: Prepared reports for relevant governance structures and overseeing in
function data and analytics.
• Corporate Performance: Provided management with corporate performance measures and
competitor analysis, ensuring functional alignment with group strategy.
• Capacity Building: Conducted capacity building on environmental topics for internal and external
stakeholders.
• Environmental Management: Ensured the implementation and maintenance of the banks
operational environmental management system to improve environmental performance, ensuring
compliance with regulations, and aimed to achieve sustainability goals/targets. Maintained the banks
operational environmental impacts and aspects register and developed safe work methodologies.
• Risk Mitigation: Identifying and developing mitigation plans for environmental issues and risks. I
ensured that environmental incident reporting and investigation procedures were followed, and cases
closed out correctly.
My work was instrumental in driving Absas sustainability initiatives, improving environmental
performance, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

• Net Zero Strategy: Contributed to the banks strategy for transitioning operational and financed
GHG emissions to align with net zero pathways by 2050, including setting 2030 financed (Scope 3)
emissions targets.
• Emissions Quantification: Quantified the banks financed emissions.
• Portfolio Analysis: Analyzed the banks portfolio alignment with scenarios consistent with a net
zero carbon future, in line with the Paris Agreement.
• Technical Expertise: Provided technical inputs on energy and carbon accounting practices at both
corporate and national levels.
• Regional Engagement: Engaged with regional offices to implement sustainability initiatives.
• Market Intelligence: Staying ahead of banking industry trends by tracking new sustainability
standards, market developments, and professional associations.

Part of the working group supporting metropolitan municipalities on adopting policies for Net Zero Carbon for Buildings in South Africa by 2030
Supporting municipalities on guidelines to procure power from independent power producers (IPPs)
Developing a programme on waste-to-energy projects for cities
Advisory on municipal procurement processes for ‘own use’ solar photovoltaic infrastructure
Energy efficiency advisory on municipal operations
Providing advisory support on cogeneration potential in wastewater treatment facilities
Part of the team developing an electricity ‘wheeling’ framework for municipalities to allow for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) across municipal grid networks

Hired as a capacity building specialist, on the USAID/South Africa Low Emissions Development Programme, involved in technical project management at the same time leading the programme’s capacity building initiatives
• Lead transaction advisor on the eThekwini Metro combined small-scale and mini-hydropower public private partnership (PPP) project
• Designed and led a study tour for Durban Solid Waste officials to a select number of facilities in the USA where biogas (Renewable Natural Gas) is used as transport fuel
• Project managing the feasibility study on the development of a renewable natural gas (RNG) project at eThekwini Metro Municipality's Buffelsdraai Landfill site for use as a transportation fuel
• Project manager for the development of greenhouse gas inventories for the following sub national entities: Mpumalanga Province, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Govan Mbeki Municipality and Chris Hani District Municipality
• Initiated and conducted institutional capacity assessments in three South African municipalities to assess their readiness to implement climate mitigation activities
• Facilitated and project managed energy auditing of municipal infrastructure including buildings, public lighting (street and high masts) and wastewater treatment facilities
• Leading the development of the climate mitigation measurement and evaluation (M&E) sectoral guidelines for the Department of Environmental Affairs
• Project managing solar potential feasibility studies on municipal buildings (Mbombela Municipality and eThekwini Metro) and on water reservoir sites in eThekwini.

• Led a consultation project assessing the energy savings potential in city municipal infrastructures of the 8 South African Cities Network member cities
• Facilitated capacity building workshops for municipal officials on energy and climate management
• Project coordination of the development of the SALGA Local Government Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Strategy
• Developed the first South African municipal focused energy efficient public lighting guidebook
• Supported municipalities with the development of their energy and climate mitigation strategies
• Provided information on smart metering in collaboration with the Green Cape and Eskom to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA)
• Development of the Western Cape Provincial Energy and Climate Change database
• Providing coordination support to the development of the sustainable low-cost housing at Joe Slovo in Cape Town.

Supported the Director: Development Management in contributing to ensuring sustainable development through the provision of an integrated environmental management regulatory, advisory and support service and ensuring the processing of environmental authorisation applications in the Region.
Review of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) applications; Integrated Environmental Management Plans, including applicable legislation and policies; Post-decision requirements(e.g amendment applications, Environmental Audit reports and ECO reports).

Transboundary marine and coastal resource management (large marine ecosystems)
Transfrontier national parks management including stakeholder consultations and information sharing.
Capacity building on conservation and coastal resource management.

Led the implementation of an environmental management system (ISO 14001) in a rubber products manufacturing factory.
Ensured that employees were responsible for adhering to procedures and contributing to environmental objectives.
Ensured that roles, responsibilities, and authorities are clearly defined and communicated within the organisation.
Established processes to manage risks, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, and achieving continual improvement within the manufacturing company's premises.
Reporting on the performance of the EMS on a monthly basis and tracking and reporting on all environmental incidents.