UNESCO Chair on Climate Change Resilience and Sustainability








About the Chair
Professor Izael Pereira Da Silva is a renewable energy specialist with over 20 years of experience in research and academic leadership. He is a Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Strathmore University where he also spearheads the UNESCO/UNITWIN chair on climate change resilience and sustainability.
He holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering, with a specialization in Power Systems, from the University of Sao Paulo, as well as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Electrical Engineering, with a specialisation in Power Systems and Telecommunications, from the Federal University of Parana.
A qualified engineer, he is a member of several engineering societies within and outside Africa such as the Council of Engineers in Energy Transition (CEET). He is also an Accredited Energy Auditor with Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), and a Certified Energy Manager with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Over the years, he has worked with government ministries, development agencies (like GIZ, Sida, the World Bank, etc) and industry stakeholders (within and outside Africa) in research and research-related projects, to deepen the linkage between industry and academia.
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His research interests are renewable energy, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and adaptation, demand-side management, energy conversion, energy utilisation and conservation, renewable energy technologies, and renewable energy policies. He has written and published extensively in these areas.
Our Mission
To promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on climate change resilience and sustainability.
Our Vision
To lead a united front of academia, government and the private sector within an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on climate change.
News
- AWEE Empowering the Next Generation of Women Energy Leaders
In a world where energy is the lifeblood of progress, the Accelerating Women’s Empowerment in Energy (AWEE) program is igniting change. Launched in June 2024 and through an AWEE grant, Strathmore University is implementing a mentorship program to support the empowerment and professional development of women currently working or seeking to work in the clean energy sector.

- Breaking Barriers with Solar Energy in Rwanda
In the heart of the land of a thousand hills, a transformative journey unfolds.
22nd – 24th August 2023 marked the inception of an extraordinary venture, a game-changing training program destined to reshape the energy landscape. Its mission: to shatter the barriers to solar power adoption and illuminate the lives of the women in Rwanda and their communities.

- What's governance got to do with it?
Humans rely on critical infrastructures to survive. Much of this infrastructure is made up of complex systems that are highly interconnected and interdependent. When one fails, many others are also affected, with catastrophic consequences. Decision makers face the challenge of designing and implementing decisions that have the potential to impact multiple sectors, stakeholders and the environment within which they all exist.

- Just Green AFRIH2ICA Stakeholder event – Promoting a JUST transition to Green Hydrogen
From 14th February to 15th February, the UNESCO Chair at Strathmore University, in partnership with Clean Energy Partnership and the European Union, hosted a stakeholder event for the Just Green AfriH2ica project. With a focus on promoting a just transition to green hydrogen in Africa, the assembly brought together key stakeholders from Kenya, Africa, and Europe to align clean energy policies and strategies, develop joint green hydrogen roadmaps, and foster international partnerships.

- Right above, is a real place…
The only spa of its kind in Africa and it is found in Kenya! Have an idea of which one it is and where it is located? Disclosing it now would bring to close our conversation or be a spoiler for the curious rovers. Let’s take a step back to where it all began. The week began with a symposium that introduced me to “Green Hydrogen”. Intrigued, I decided to learn more about it. As I delved deeper, I discovered that it echoes one of the many ways of saving the planet to better the livelihood of people and nature. Don’t buzz out yet, for you still need to know where this magnificent creation of man that is fueled by nature is located.
- Sunsafe’s Solar Revolution: Lighting Up Kenya with QR-Code Powered Innovation
Imagine a life where when the sun sets, darkness blankets your home because the solar you bought no longer works. The flicker of a candle or the gasp of a noisy generator is your only company. Pretty bleak, right? But what if I told you that an innovation from the UNESCO Chair is casting a golden glow, ushering in an electric revolution? This revolution is an app that will help the shopkeeper selling you solar and your “ocha” electrician, to give you solar that will last.
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