LIFE Academy is proud to announce that Peter Musinguzi Mwesiga from Uganda is the Change Agent of the Year 2024. Peter was nominated by his colleague Patricia Ocan for his tireless work in promoting clean cooking in Uganda.

The Change Project Peter and his country peers developed during the Renewable Energy Programme 3 started with the aim of creating awareness on e-cooking but expanded into the creation of a full-scale utility-wide programme at Umeme in Uganda under the leadership of Peter. Apart from involving colleagues in the adoption of e-cooking appliances and training “e-cooking champions” for further promotion Peter connected many stakeholders to the project in order to expand the scope, such as Makerere University, the Ministry of Energy and the Access to Energy Institute. This helped accessing further funding of the project in able to support national rollout.

Apart from spearheading the spread of e-cooking Peter also completed a project where street lighting was provided in informal settlements to reduce crime and improve night business activity, where over 100 vulnerable youth were provided with employable skills in several areas including food entrepreneurship, tailoring and domestic wiring.

We congratulate Peter Mwesiga for his continuous work in promoting sustainable development and for successfully spreading sustainable ideas and concepts to others, not only inside his own organisation. Peter shows that it is possible to change the mindset of others to make sustainability happen.

The Change Agent of the Year is rewarded for acting as a role model who inspires others to develop and drive sustainable solutions. The awardee will get 1 000 USD to be used for any sustainability activity of choice and to inspire others in their work for a sustainable future.

We took the opportunity to ask Peter a few questions when delivering the news about him being the Change Agent of the Year 2024, see below.

Congratulations Peter! How does it feel to receive this award?

Very excited and thankful. Thankful to LIFE Academy and SIDA for the capacity development opportunity, to Umeme Ltd, for allowing and supporting my involvement and to my fellow cohort members for walking the journey with me and recommending me. 

Could you tell us about your work in Uganda as well as your current position and organisation?

I have led teams as a Project Manager responsible for strategic Projects at Umeme Ltd since 2019. The project concept for the Adoption cooking with electricity in Uganda, was developed with the Uganda Cohort, while undergoing the Capacity development Programme at LIFE Academy.

As the Utility Project Manager, I have also led teams on the Utility 2.0 Project, to test how decentralised energy systems can be integrated on the main grid. My other work has involved evolving energy service delivery systems in informal settlements in shared value initiatives to build relationships and bring services closer and easier to the people.

Currently, I am undertaking an MSc in Climate Change, Development and policy, as a World Bank Scholar, at Sussex University in the UK, to further such efforts.

All these seeds were sown while at LIFE Academy.  

You were a participant of the LIFE Academy training programme Global Capacity Development Programme on Renewable Energy 3 (REP 3). What knowledge and experiences did you bring from this programme?

With several years of experience in operations and project management in the electricity distribution business in Uganda, I brought real life experiences in how projects are developed and implemented in energy distribution business.

During the training programme you were working with a Change Project, along with your country peers, that aimed at creating awareness on cooking with electricity, expanding its scope from awareness creation into a full Utility-wide programme. Could you tell us a bit about that project and what has happened after the training programme?

Now, over 4 000 electric pressure cookers are being distributed. 34 technicians were trained, and technical specifications put together to support the project. The initiative, working through partnerships and collaborations has contributed to national rollout efforts and taken on a bigger ambition as we work transition to cleaner cooking as a country for the betterment of our people and the environment.

Appreciation also goes to the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and other partners such as CREEC, A2EI for partnering with Umeme on the Project.

This effort is now scaling up at the Ministry of Energy level, with a national roll out programme in the initial stages of implementation.

Are you working with any other Change Projects right now? Could you tell us about them?

I am involved in the National Roll Out Programme for e-cooking through partners to support Quality Assurance for training of more technicians countrywide to support such a rollout.

I continue to work with Spotlight Kampala, an applied research project that is looking at how electricity access can be decentralised and improved in informal settlements in Energy Poor Communities by reducing the several barriers that informal communities face while accessing clean energy.

You will be awarded with 1 000 USD. Do you have any idea what the money will be used for?

I am working on conducting a study on what financing models can support accelerating clean cooking in both informal settlements and refuge communities in Uganda/East Africa. I will use the money on this study.

What is your driving force?

Two things:

• Making my contribution to Climate Change Action for a liveable tomorrow.
• Leaving a better world for my two daughters.

General Information about Change Agents

A Change Agent is a person, trained by LIFE Academy to act for a sustainable development in their organisation and country. There are around 2 000 LIFE Academy Change Agents in 80 countries all over the world that are part of the LIFE Academy global network.

The Change Agents create true value for their organisations and they have their focus on making changes that are sustainable, with a holistic approach taking both the environment, social and economic issues in consideration.

In the work for our common sustainable future it is very important with role models that can inspire more people to take action for sustainable solutions. To encourage our role models, the Change Agents in our network, we award a Change Agent of the Year.

Previous Change Agents of the Year:

2015 – Ms. Fasika Minde from Ethiopia

2016 – Dr. P. Kanagavel from India

2018 – Ms. Jackie Namakula from Uganda

2019 – Ms. Margaret Mutsamvi from Zimbabwe

2020 – Ms. Lucia Marroquín Mendoza from Mexico

2021 – Dr. Matthew Matimbwi from Tanzania

2022 – Mr. Noy Shoung from Cambodia

2023 – Alexandr Matrohin from Moldova