Welcome to the co-ambassadors page for Eastern Africa. Below you will find a list of co-ambassadors for the Eastern Africa region, alongside their Regional Coordinator.
Eastern Africa Regional Coordinator
Dr Alemu Addisu Abrha
Regional Coordinator term: 2026-2027
Country: Ethiopia
Languages: English
Mobility programme: Intra‑Africa ACP, Kenya
Dr Alemu Addisu Abrha is an Assistant Professor of Climate Change and Adaptation at Mekelle University, Ethiopia, with over ten years of experience in research and teaching on climate change adaptation and mitigation, climate policy and justice, climate‑resilient development, rural development and transdisciplinary research.
He holds a PhD in Climate Change and Adaptation from the University of Nairobi, supported by the European Union, and has contributed to numerous national and international research initiatives. He is a project team member of the EU‑funded Climate Research and Education to Advance Green Development in Africa (CREATE–Green Africa, 2023–2028) project.
His research focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation, climate finance, vulnerability, smallholder resilience, sustainable development and evidence‑based climate policy. He has published extensively in peer‑reviewed journals and actively engages in continental dialogues on climate justice.
Co-ambassadors
Jump to:
Comoros · Kenya · Madagascar · Rwanda · Somalia · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Uganda
Comoros
Aboubacar Ben Aboubacar – Co‑Ambassador
Aboubacar Ben Aboubacar is a computer engineering specialist and a higher‑education development practitioner with over 16 years of experience in transforming education systems through digital technologies. He is currently the Representative of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in the Comoros.
He previously served as Deputy Director for Programmes and Academic Affairs at the University of the Comoros, where he played a strategic role in structuring academic offerings, overseeing academic planning, and improving teaching quality. In this role, he contributed to aligning programmes with international standards and to the early integration of digital tools into university governance.
Actively engaged in international cooperation, he participated in a PAFROID mobility programme in 2018 at the University of Mauritius and an Erasmus+ KA171 mobility in October 2024 at the University of Turin, Italy. His work focuses on digital education, university governance, and strengthening youth employability by developing skills aligned with labour market needs and the challenges of the 21st century.
Languages: French
Mobility programme: PAFROID mobility, Mauritius, and Erasmus+ KA171, Italy
Kenya
Dr Agnes Anyango Andollo – Co‑Ambassador
Dr Agnes Anyango Andollo is an internationally recognised education scholar, researcher and project expert dedicated to advancing inclusive education, youth empowerment, and transformative learning across Africa. She holds three doctoral degrees from University of Nairobi, Kenya, the University of Porto, Portugal, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Her academic journey was supported through prestigious Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus+ scholarships, reflecting a strong international academic foundation and rich cross-cultural academic and research engagement.
She is a Lecturer and researcher at the University of Nairobi, Honorary Chancellor of the Universities Student Leaders Institute (USLI) Kenya, where she mentors emerging student leaders and promotes leadership development across universities in Kenya, and Lead Expert for the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project in Kenya. Through her academic, professional, and community leadership roles, she champions youth leadership, mentorship, mindset learning, citizenship education, innovative pedagogy, project development, and socio-emotional skills development, equipping young people with the competencies needed for responsible leadership and sustainable development.
Dr Andollo currently serves as Co-Ambassador for Kenya and previously served as ASAF Eastern Africa Regional Coordinator. In this role, she has been actively promoting European Union opportunities including Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus+, and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). She works closely with European and African partners to expand academic mobility, strengthen research collaboration, and foster international partnerships for students, scholars, and institutions.
Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Luo, Swahili
Mobility programme: Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus+, Spain and Portugal
Madagascar
Lalaina Artiana – Co‑Ambassador
Lalaina Artiana is a hydrogeology specialist with extensive professional experience in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in Madagascar. She completed her Master’s degree in Hydrogeology at the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Antananarivo in 2012, and subsequently pursued further training in water and sanitation through international mobility under the PIMASO scholarship, completing a Master’s programme at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Following her return to Madagascar, she worked as a consultant on quantitative and qualitative WASH studies for several organisations, including WSUP Madagascar, WaterAid, MRC and MSIS Tatao, and held coordination roles with MSI and ENDA Madagascar, where she supervised projects such as Lalankely III, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union, and the QUAPEM project, also funded by AFD.
Lalaina Artiana currently works as an institutional and social works supervision expert with INFRAMAD (INFRAS Group) on the PIAA2 project (Programme Intégré d’Assainissement d’Antananarivo), which focuses on sustainable solutions to reduce flooding in Antananarivo through the strengthening and rehabilitation of drainage networks. Through her role as an ASAF Co‑Ambassador, she is committed to applying her international experience to support sustainable development initiatives and promote academic mobility opportunities.
Languages: French
Mobility programme: Intra‑ACP Mobility
Mark Dylon Julien – Co‑Ambassador
Mark Dylon Julien is a Malagasy youth leader, trainer and community development practitioner actively engaged in academic mobility promotion and alumni networking in Mauritius. He holds a Master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Mahajanga and is currently pursuing further specialisation in Local Development Engineering and Management.
Strongly committed to youth empowerment, leadership and civic participation, he serves as ASAF Co‑Ambassador for Madagascar, representing Malagasy students and alumni within a pan‑African network and contributing to the coordination of youth initiatives at national and regional levels. He also has experience as a scientific diver, having participated in ecological monitoring activities of marine ecosystems. Through an academic mobility programme in Germany, he strengthened his professional skills, broadened his international perspective and developed intercultural collaborations.
As an ASAF Co‑Ambassador, he focuses on raising awareness of EU programmes, supporting prospective applicants and strengthening alumni engagement, while promoting sustainable community development, participatory governance and youth leadership.
Languages: French
Mobility programme: Erasmus+ and ICM, Germany
Rwanda
Germaine Hirwa – Co‑Ambassador
Germaine Hirwa is a resourceful and solutions‑oriented professional with extensive experience managing multi‑partner projects across Africa, particularly in Rwanda. Her work spans operations management, research coordination, scientific analysis, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning, with a focus on nature‑based solutions, sustainable use of natural resources, environmental management, climate change adaptation, sustainable development and the circular economy.
She has substantial experience working with multilateral donor finance, providing oversight and ensuring compliance across portfolios of projects from concept development through implementation and closure.
Germaine Hirwa completed her Erasmus+ mobility as part of the BiogeoScience Master programme at the University of Koblenz‑Landau, Germany, which further strengthened her technical expertise and international professional experience.
Languages: English, French, Kinyarwanda
Mobility programme: Erasmus+, Germany
Jackson Lutagira – Co‑Ambassador
Jackson Lutagira is a Rwandan climate change, disaster risk reduction, and environmental governance specialist with over twelve years of professional experience supporting humanitarian, development. His work focuses on strengthening climate resilience, environmental safeguards, while integrating gender equality and social inclusion into climate adaptation and disaster preparedness initiatives.
Jackson holds a Master’s degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resources Management from the University of Rwanda and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya. Through the Erasmus+ mobility programme, he studied Biogeosciences at Universität Koblenz-Landau (Campus Koblenz) in Germany, where he expanded his academic and practical knowledge on environmental systems and sustainability.
Jackson‘s current professional and research interests focus on climate change adaptation, environmental governance, climate justice, sustainable development, and strengthening institutional systems for climate risk management. As Rwanda’s Co-Ambassador to the African Students and Alumni Forum (ASAF), he is committed to promoting AU-EU mobility programmes and fostering academic collaboration and knowledge exchange between Africa and Europe.
Languages: English
Mobility programme: Erasmus+, Germany
Somalia
Aidarus Yusuf Abdullahi – Co‑Ambassador
Aidarus Yusuf Abdullahi participated in the Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Programme for African students with disabilities, through which he earned a Master of Arts in Development Studies from Kampala International University, Uganda.
Following the completion of his degree, he taught at several universities in Mogadishu and later progressed to the role of Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Science. He subsequently transitioned to the humanitarian sector in Somalia, working with national humanitarian organisations in roles including MEAL Officer, Human Resources Officer and, currently, Project Officer at SWDC.
Although he is currently outside the academic field, he maintains a strong interest in research and evidence‑based practice.
Languages: English, Arabic and Somali
Mobility programme: Mwalimu Nyerere AU Scholarship Programme, Uganda
South Sudan
Majiok Koak Nyoach – Co‑Ambassador
Majiok Koak Nyoach holds a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Gondar in Ethiopia, with a mobility period at Ebonyi State University in Nigeria, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Assosa University in Ethiopia. He began his academic career in September 2017 as an Assistant Lecturer at Gambella University, where he taught for three years before undertaking his Master’s studies. Following the completion of his degree in December 2022, he was promoted to Lecturer at the same institution, a role he held until 2023. He currently serves as a Lecturer at the University of Juba, South Sudan.
Throughout his academic career, he has actively participated in scientific research projects, conferences and capacity‑building programmes. He completed a seven‑month research mobility under the MOBREED Intra‑Africa Mobility Scheme, funded by the European Union, at Ebonyi State University, where he conducted research on the molecular and biochemical characterisation of Nigerian black fonio accessions. He has also taken part in leadership, digital communication and capacity‑building training organised by ASAF in collaboration with the European Union and Erasmus+.
In addition to his university teaching, he contributes to vocational training centres in South Sudan, delivering training to young people in areas such as WASH, health and environmental studies. His research interests include food science, water quality, environmental studies, plant biology, medicinal research, African orphan crops and molecular sciences.
Languages: English, Arabic Amharic, Nuer
Mobility programme: MOBREED Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme, Nigeria
Sudan
Mohamad Deifalla – Co‑Ambassador
Mohamad Hassan Hamadelnil Deifalla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST), Khartoum, Sudan. He earned his BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering from Sudan University of Science and Technology (SUST) and the University of Science and Technology (UST) respectively, and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Karary University. His research focuses on modelling, simulation and control of chemical processes, with applications in industrial process optimisation. In 2019, he participated in the Erasmus+ Staff Training Mobility Programme at Çankırı Karatekin University, Turkey, where he gained international experience and advanced training in chemical engineering education and research.
Languages: English
Mobility programme: Erasmus+ Staff Training Mobility, Turkey
Tanzania
Daniel Kadoke Nyakwela – Co‑Ambassador
Daniel Kadoke Nyakwela has a background in mathematics and statistics and is currently in the final year of a Master’s degree in Biostatistics at the University of Abomey‑Calavi. During a professional attachment with Mwanza City Council, he contributed to socio‑economic profiling, supported the monitoring of infrastructure projects and assisted with data preparation for the Medium‑Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). His research interests include epidemiological modelling, causal inference and spatiotemporal analysis, applying statistical and mathematical methods to understand disease dynamics and support evidence‑based public health decision‑making. He also completed an Erasmus+ mobility at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain, where he engaged with international researchers and strengthened his analytical and research skills.
Languages: English
Mobility programme: Erasmus+, Spain
Uganda
Dr Tumwesigye Edgar – Co‑Ambassador
Dr Tumwesigye Edgar holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from Makerere University, Uganda, specialising in Physical and Analytical Chemistry, with a strong background in thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, surface chemistry and instrumental analysis. He subsequently obtained a PhD (Science) from Rhodes University, South Africa, funded through the European‑supported Intra‑Africa Academic Mobility Programme, which enabled his transition from Uganda to South Africa and provided advanced research training and international academic exposure.
His doctoral research was grounded in Physical Chemistry, focusing on adsorption phenomena at solid–liquid interfaces. He investigated the kinetics, equilibrium behaviour and thermodynamic aspects of the adsorption of organic contaminants, including pharmaceuticals and endocrine‑disrupting compounds, onto microplastics in freshwater systems. This work contributes to a mechanistic understanding of the physicochemical interactions governing the role of microplastics as vectors for emerging pollutants.
Dr Edgar currently serves as a University Lecturer in Physical Chemistry in Uganda, where he teaches core Physical Chemistry courses, supervises student research and advances scholarly work. His research interests focus on adsorption processes, including kinetics, adsorption isotherm modelling and thermodynamic characterisation of contaminant–surface interactions, with applications to environmental and water systems to better understand contaminant fate, transport and remediation.
Languages: English
Mobility programme: Intra‑Africa Academic Mobility, South Africa
