Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions
Lovans Owusu-Takyi is a social entrepreneur, environmentalist and sustainable development professional with about 18 years’ experience in educational administration, agriculture, renewable energy, engineering and fabrication, market development, agroforestry and climate change initiatives in Ghana and Africa.
Lovans’ has a passion for developing and deploying innovative climate-smart solutions to address energy and environmental challenges with a focus on low-income households, small enterprises and communities in Ghana through inclusive business models.
He has broad and diverse academic background including Post graduate studies in Agriculture, Education and Public Administration in 3 Ghanaian Universities as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science at the University of Ghana. He has also undertaken courses in Cleancooking, Biogas, Solar installation and Renewable Energy Technologies at the Energy Centers of KNUST, and the Association of Ghana Industries Energy Service Center, as well as ecovillage, bioenergy and permaculture courses in Germany, Denmark, and Scotland.
He is currently the co-founder, and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions (ISEES) that runs TVET education for youth in Ghana where he coordinates the Clean Cooking Innovation Center and provides support for Green businesses.
He is also the Co-Founder and President of the Sustainable Energy Technologies Limited, popularly known as SETECH a clean cookstoves manufacturing and distribution company in Ghana, producing biomass gasifier stoves that uses pellets and briquettes for cooking and developing and promoting innovative climate-smart energy and environmental technologies for households, SMEs and communities using innovative business models including the cleancookingmarket.com online market platform for clean cookstoves in Ghana.
He also serves as Vice Chair on the National Executive Boards of the Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels, the Global Ecovillages Network Ghana as well as the Ghana Bioenergy Association
He previously worked with SNV Netherlands Development Organization, Ghana as a National Renewable Energy Advisor, JVE International Ghana and Trees for the future as a Country Director and a former Board Member of the Biogas Association of Ghana.
He currently serves as an Advisor of the the CleanCook ethanol cookstoves market development initiative for Southline Coast Limited a Vertically integrated Bioethanol fuels producer and distributor of Cleancook ethanol stoves in Ghana catalyzing the market for bioethanol stoves in Ghana.
Day 0
October 10
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Day 1
October 11
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
3:50 pm-4:50 pm
Breakout Room A
Biofuels: Bridging the Urban and Rural Fuel Divide
Biofuels as a clean cooking fuel class is emerging as a commercial solution in many regions. Cooking with biofuels has the promise of offering both health and climate benefits to consumers but so far has had limited traction in the market. Today however, several companies are finding innovative ways to bring these fuels closer to consumers and improve affordability. With the scale achieved by KOKO Networks in bioethanol-based cooking and several biogas players expanding globally, biofuels are fast becoming renewable options for clean cooking. Building a conducive policy environment, increasing available capital, and growing the number of participating companies is essential to scale further.
This session will discuss the progress, opportunities, and challenges in the sector from the perspective of industry players and stakeholders working across Africa and Asia. Speakers will highlight business and policy opportunities in the biofuels sector and share future opportunities for expansion.
Speakers
Esther Altorfer
Chief Strategy Officer, Sistema.bio
Alicia El Mamouni
Executive Director, Pivot Clean Energy Co
Aukje de Jager
Country Sector Leader Renewable Energy, Mali, SNV
Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions
Sagun Saxena
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, KOKO Networks
Day 2
October 12
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Day 3
October 13
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Day 4
October 14
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Sessions by Lovans Owusu-Takyi
3:50 pm-4:50 pm
Breakout Room A
Biofuels: Bridging the Urban and Rural Fuel Divide
Biofuels as a clean cooking fuel class is emerging as a commercial solution in many regions. Cooking with biofuels has the promise of offering both health and climate benefits to consumers but so far has had limited traction in the market. Today however, several companies are finding innovative ways to bring these fuels closer to consumers and improve affordability. With the scale achieved by KOKO Networks in bioethanol-based cooking and several biogas players expanding globally, biofuels are fast becoming renewable options for clean cooking. Building a conducive policy environment, increasing available capital, and growing the number of participating companies is essential to scale further.
This session will discuss the progress, opportunities, and challenges in the sector from the perspective of industry players and stakeholders working across Africa and Asia. Speakers will highlight business and policy opportunities in the biofuels sector and share future opportunities for expansion.
Speakers
Esther Altorfer
Chief Strategy Officer, Sistema.bio
Alicia El Mamouni
Executive Director, Pivot Clean Energy Co
Aukje de Jager
Country Sector Leader Renewable Energy, Mali, SNV
Lovans Owusu-Takyi
Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Solutions
Sagun Saxena
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, KOKO Networks