Alaka Lugonzo

Programme Director

Alaka is an Extractives Sector Consultant with a legal background and a specialization in Energy, Oil Gas and Mining aspects of the extractives industry. She is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and has an (LLM) in Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee in Scotland. Her core interest and passion is in Policy and Governance, Local Content, Technology and Gender in the Extractives sector. Alaka experience’s includes growing new organizations through networking, fund raising and cultivating relationships, writing and research, teaching and training, speaking and moderating in conferences, corporate governance, policy advocacy and capacity building. She has previously work at the Association of Women in Extractives in Kenya where as the coordinator she was instrumental in creating professional and business opportunities for women along the energy, oil, gas and mining value chain. Alaka has extensive experience includes engaging funding organizations such as Mennonites Economic Development Associates (MEDA), Open Society and the Australian High Commission to develop concepts and raise funds and also worked closely with development partners such as the IFC and the High Commission of Canada. Alaka has also worked with worked with the Kenya Government, including the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining (MOPM) ,county governments, community and gender representative groups that have an economic base in extractives sector, civil society organizations, academic institutions to conduct advocacy forums, capacity building workshops, trainings and stakeholder engagements in the extractives sector in Kenya. Alaka also lead an initiative with a major bank in Kenya, to provide specialized trade financing for women in the extractives value chain who would otherwise not have access to finance. Alaka is the recipient of the Women in Business Award 2019 under the Environmental and Natural Resources Category.