Prof. Diouma KOBOR, an inventor, director of ANER, and professor at Assance Seck University of Ziguinchor (UASZ), is a materials scientist from Senegal who is dedicated to assisting his nation in developing innovative plans to cut emissions from fossil fuels. Thanks to a TWAS research project funded by Sida for the years 2022–2024, he is experimenting with new materials to create low-cost solar cells and promote affordable solar energy conversion technologies. Senegal is creating a long-term energy plan to use renewable energy sources and cut emissions from fossil fuels by 2030. Kobor has two worldwide patents from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and one patent published under the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) for its creative creations.

Prof. Ange NZIHOU, born in Congo-Brazzaville, received his doctorate at INP Toulouse in 1994. He joined IMT Mines Albi in 1998, at the Research Center of Albi in process engineering of divided solids, energy and environment (RAPSODEE, IMT Mines Albi) which he then directed from 2011 to 2019. After a Fulbright stay in 2022 at Princeton University (USA), he has been there again since February 2024 as a Fellow and Professor. He is editor-in-chief of the journal Waste and Biomass Valorization (Springer Nature), and founder and chairman of the international conference cycle WasteEng Series. His research focuses on sustainable high value-added functional materials based on carbon (graphene, sensors, catalysts); the production of hydrogen and syngas from bioresources; thermochemical processes (pyrolysis, gasification, reforming) in a decarbonization approach. He has published more than 220 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, filed 5 patents (including 2 extrapolated to industrial scale), and edited and co-edited 4 books. He is responsible for two joint laboratories with industry, and a chair on sustainable materials for energy at the Mahatma Gandhi University in India. To date, he has supervised around fifty doctoral theses.

Prof. Youba Sokona had been a Lead Author since 1990 and was Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III on climate change mitigation for the Fifth Assessment Report. In October 2015, Youba Sokona was chosen as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) vice-chair. At the moment, Youba Sokona serves as the South Center's Special Advisor for Sustainable Development. Youba Sokona is a well-known and influential worldwide figure with more than 35 years of experience working on sustainable development, energy, and the environment in Africa. Along with these accomplishments, Youba Sokona has demonstrated organizational leadership and management in roles such as Executive Secretary of the Sahara and the Sahel Observatory (OSS) and Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Center (ACPC).

Prof. Samuel OUYA holds a PhD. in Telecommunications from Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD) and a postgraduate doctorate in applied mathematics from Gaston Berger University (UGB) in Saint-Louis. He rose through the academic ladder, from assistant professor to full professor, notably in the Computer Engineering department of the Polytechnic Superior School (ESP) of UCAD. Eminent figure in the field of networks and telecommunications, Pr Samuel OUYA held, until his appointment, the position of Director of the Computer Science Laboratory, Telecommunications and Applications (LITA) at the Polytechnic Superior School (ESP) of the Cheikh Anta DIOP university of Dakar (UCAD). He also directed the Computer Science Laboratory, Telecoms & Networking (LIRT) from 2006 to 2021. Professor Samuel OUYA is appointed Rector of the Cheikh Hamidou KANE Digital University (UN-CHK) since December 2024.

Prof. Laurent OTTAVIANI is a member of the academic staff of Aix-Marseille University (IM2NP/UMR 7334), he is in charge of research programs pertaining to SiC and its applications to optoelectronic and neutron sensor devices. Since completing his PhD at INSA Lyon in France in 1999, he has concentrated his study on SiC and its application in detectors. He has gained extensive experience in instrumental physics pertaining to SiC-based photodetectors and neutron sensors throughout the years, in addition to theoretical and experimental understanding of SiC doping by ion implantation technologies. He has supervised nine PhDs, filed for three patents, and written or co-authored over fifty publications that have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. Cheikh Mouhamed Fadel KEBE, currently serving as a research professor at the Polytechnic Superior School (ESP) of Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) of Dakar, he gained significant pedagogical engineering skills by developing a number of academic courses within the scope of LMD. In light of the energy shift, he teaches energy efficiency and renewable energy. He served as director of the National Incubator for Innovative Enterprises (INNODEV) for ten years and is a member of the Laboratory for Energy, Water, Environment, and Industrial Processes (LE3PI). Senior energy consultant at the Center for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) of the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) and expert assessor for ANAQ-SUP. He is involved or has been involved in several international projects: QESAMED, AFREQEN, the World Bank’s ACE-Impact project, etc. He is very involved in expert networks as president of the Solar Systems Test Center (CT2S), Chairman of the Senegalese Metrology Association (ASMET) and Vice-President of the African Metrology Committee (CAFMET).