Water and Energy for Food 2.0 Middle East and North Africa

Ahmed oversees technical assistance to our innovators at the MENA RIH. He is an assistant professor at the Electrical Power and Machines Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University and an assistant professor (status only) at the Energy Systems Group, University of Toronto. Ahmed acquired his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2011 and worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution till 2013. Ahmed is a co-founder in Cleantech Arabia and is currently the manager of the Eco-Industrial Unit which he co-founded within Chemonics Egypt Consultants (CEC). On a policy level, Ahmed worked on projects related to industrial energy efficiency and sustainability, energy planning, as well as environmental and social issues relevant to the energy industry.

Aline is the Co-Director of cewas and in charge of developing partnerships for the MENA RIH and its innovator cohort. Aline is a water management specialist by education and a natural resource manager by practice, connecting agricultural, sanitation, waste and other environmental sectors with innovation, business development and impact financing. Establishing networks, projects and businesses is her passion and mission, which she utilizes for the MENA RIH as she has done to build the cewas Middle East regional branch. Aline has extensive water, environment, and business -related knowledge and network in the Middle East and East Africa, which she draws upon to coach and train sector-specific businesses and support developing respective markets.

Irene is the Head of Entrepreneurship and MSMEs in Chemonics Egypt since 2014 and supports technical assistance activities at the MENA RIH. For the last 11 years, she focused on the intersection of technical and business aspects of clean technologies. She worked on multiple studies including market analysis, policy, technology, value chain and clusters analysis and development in various recycling and renewable energy sub-sector. She co-established Egypt’s first incubation, acceleration and growth management programs in the clean technology markets and has advised over 100 startups and MSMEs working in the water-energy-food nexus from technical aspects to investment readiness. Irene holds a MSc Degree in Masters of Energy Systems Management from the University of San Francisco.

Ms. Sabry is a project manager at Chemonics Egypt’s Eco-industrial department (EID). She has experience in managing entrepreneurship support projects from project managing, to developing the project’s Standard Operations Procedures (SoPs) to conducting outreach campaigns to designing curricula to stakeholder engagement to conducting Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Activities (MEL). Additionally, Ms. Sabry has well-rounded experience in managing multiple stakeholders across various countries to guide them toward project success. Ms. Sabry holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Development (2015) and a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from the American University in Cairo (AUC) (2009).

Nashwan is a Water Resources Engineer and multidisciplinary Project Manager. He uses his collective +10 years of experience in WASH, water sector reforms, and business development processes to support resources management sector specific actors including entrepreneurs, SMEs, practitioners, and managers. His background and field of expertise enabled him to offer backstopping and coordination support in the Enabling Environment-related interventions. In addition to the coordination support that Nashwan offers to the Iraqi businesses in WE4F Program, he also supports them through improving on their marketing, managerial, financial, and operational aspects to catalyze healthier and more sustainable growth.

Mr. Rizk has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Sheffield and Masters in Energy Engineering and Industrial Management from the same university. He joined Chemonics Egypt Consultants in 2021 as a Sustainable Energy Engineer. He has worked as a team leader, project coordinator, technical specialist, and market and policy researcher on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and agritech projects with various international partners, including the WBG, IFC, AfDB, EBRD and UNESCWA.

Mounes holds a BSc. in electrical engineering and is Microsoft certified database and data analyst. He has a further certification in risk management. He contributes 11 years of experience in various industries (FMCG, banking, economic growth, entrepreneurship, and USAID projects experience) and has broad expertise in adapting to changing market needs, engaging with entrepreneurs and SME’s for technical and financial services and advisory services, including supply chain, marketing, and product development.

Majd is an environmental and water management specialist with nearly a decade of experience across Jordan and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) región . She brings solid technical expertise in the water sector and environmental management systems, with a background spanning wastewater reuse, risk monitoring, climate action, and WASH. Majd has worked closely with international organizations, local communities, and government entities to advance sustainable practices. At CEWAS, she works as an entrepreneurship coordinator and coach, supporting green startups and actively engaging with ecosystem actors to foster innovation and collaboration.