The Team

BGFA is a financing facility managed by Nefco and implemented on the ground with support from the project implementation partners NIRAS and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP). Meet the teams below.

Nefco logo
Facility Manager:

Nefco

As Facility Manager, Nefco has overall responsibility for the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa (BGFA), including fundraising, procurement, contracting, financial administration and disbursements.

For more information please visit: www.nefco.int

The Nefco team

Ash Sharma
Ash Sharma
Vice President, Head of BGFA

Ash is the head of BGFA, with overall responsibility for the work programme and budget, and leads investor relations, fundraising and external affairs.

Kari Hämekoski
Kari Hämekoski
Senior Programme Manager

Kari is engaged in the day-to-day management of BGFA implementation, with responsibility for monitoring the operational work programme, procurement and costs.

Tina Möller
Tina Möller
Programme Manager

Tina provides programme support and coordinates reporting with the BGFA donors and REEEP.

Heli Sinkko
Heli Sinkko
Programme Manager

Heli is engaged in the day-to-day management of BGFA implementation, with particular responsibilities for gender matters and impact monitoring.

Dennis Hamro-Drotz
Dennis Hamro-Drotz
Senior Programme Manager (on leave)

Dennis is responsible for the francophone country programmes.

Helle Lindegaard
Helle Lindegaard
Executive Adviser

Helle provides strategic advice and support to the BGFA team and Special Funds Unit at Nefco.

Aliona Fomenco
Aliona Fomenco
Investment Manager

Aliona is responsible for BGFA country programmes

Ritva Kauppi
Ritva Kauppi
Principal Counsel

Ritva is responsible for legal affairs related to BGFA.

Aleksandra Reskalenko
Aleksandra Reskalenko
Programme Officer

Aleksandra supports the BGFA programme with various project management related tasks.

Lia Oker-Blom
Lia Oker-Blom
Senior Communications Officer

Lia is responsible for BGFA programme communications.

Amica Dristig
Amica Dristig
Administrative Officer

Amica is working with various administrative tasks related to BGFA.

Petra Mikkolainen
Petra Mikkolainen
Senior Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager

Petra is responsible for the monitoring, evaluation and learning activities of BGFA

Emma Yrjölä
Emma Yrjölä
Programme Officer

Emma supports the BGFA programme with various project management related tasks.

Gloria Monterrubio
Gloria Monterrubio
Communications Officer

Gloria supports the implementation of BGFA programme communications.

REEEP new logo
Project Implementation Partner

REEEP

As Project Implementation Partner, REEEP supports the programme with market scoping, design of funding windows, due diligence review and development work.  Working on the ground, REEEP has organised local stakeholder engagements as part of the market scoping and currently provides technical assistance to the markets and administrative support to the Platform for Market Change under the BGFZ pilot programme.

For more information please visit: www.reeep.org

The REEEP team

Peter Storey
Peter Storey
Team Leader

Peter is an independent expert in international financing solutions in developing countries and transition economies, currently specialising in climate change, clean and renewable energy projects.

Merja Laakso
Merja Laakso
Director of Programmes

Merja provides strategic advice on the design and implementation of BGFA across all markets.

Andrew Loebus
Andrew Loebus
Head of BGFA

Andrew is responsible for the design and implementation of BGFA across all markets.

Bisera Bashevska
Bisera Bashevska
Senior Analyst

Bisera supports the management of internal operations of BGFA and contributes to BGFA’s implementation across all target countries.

Antoine Lucic
Antoine Lucic
Senior Analyst

Antoine works on the implementation of BGFA across all target countries.

Giuseppe Gregu
Giuseppe Gregu
Senior Project Officer

Giuseppe is responsible for managing internal operations of BGFA and contributes to BGFA’s implementation across all target countries.

Jessica Gogo
Jessica Gogo
Analyst

Jessica works on the implementation of BGFA across all target countries

Teresa Oberascher
Teresa Oberascher
Senior Manager

Teresa works on the implementation of BGFA across all target countries.

NIRAS
Project Implementation Partner

NIRAS

As Project Implementation Partner, NIRAS supports on-the-ground monitoring of the BGFA contracted companies, i.e. the energy service providers, incl. reporting and verification services (MRV), review of implementation progress and milestones reached by the financed projects, supports and coordinates work related to impact evaluations and verification of established energy service subscriptions and provides institutional support in the BGFA countries.

For more information please visit: www.niras.com

The NIRAS team

Jeroen van der Linden
Jeroen van der Linden
Team Leader

Jeroen is the overall NIRAS Team Leader for both Component 1 (Provision of MRV services for the Energy Service Providers/ESPs supported by BGFA) and Component 2 (Provision of Institutional Support Services). Jeroen has extensive experience in planning, development and deployment of off-grid RE technologies, as well as institutional strengthening at both state and local level in developing countries.

Annegrete Lausten
Annegrete Lausten
Deputy Team Leader

Annegrete is a seasoned clean energy expert and is responsible for overseeing the contract, co-leading the design of the project with Jeroen, and providing strategic oversight and technical guidance to the team for both Component 1 and 2.

Joss Swennenhuis
Joss Swennenhuis
MRV Lead

Joss is a leading MRV specialist and is responsible for leading the design, establishment and implementation of the BGFA MRV system and for coordinating the MRV work of the national MRV experts.

Ines Maghrebi
Ines Maghrebi
Financial Analyst

Ines is a senior international Financial Expert and is responsible for leading the monitoring and assessment of the financial health and status including the longer-term financial sustainability of the ESPs.

Henry Karanja
Henry Karanja
Environmental and Social specialist

Henry is an experienced environmental and social specialist and is responsible for the assessment of Environment and Social (E&S) plans (including e-waste plans) and related KPIs as well as the implementation of these plans and KPIs by respective ESPs

Lovisa Arlid
Lovisa Arlid
Gender specialist

Lovisa is a renowned Gender specialist and is responsible for assessing the quality and adequacy of Gender Action Plans as well as the implementation of these plans and KPIs by respective ESPs.

Essel Ben Hagan
Essel Ben Hagan
Institutional Expert, Task Force Coordinator

Ben, is a highly experienced expert in clean energy policy, strategy and institutional capacity building. As the Task Force Coordinator, Ben coordinates the work of the national institutional experts to catalyse the set up and implementation of the Off-Grid Task Forces in each country. 

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