The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has appointed energy veteran Juliana Kainga as the new Director of GWEC Africa and the Africa WindPower (AWP) platform. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for wind energy advancement on the continent, and she will spearhead the industry body’s strategic push to accelerate wind deployment across Africa.
Kainga brings more than 15 years of experience in renewable energy development and project finance across East, West, and Southern Africa—including previous leadership roles at GE, Enel Green Power, and Vivo Energy. She succeeds Wangari Muchiri, who steps down after a transformative five-year tenure during which Africa’s installed wind capacity expanded from 6 GW to 10 GW.
During Muchiri’s tenure, GWEC expanded its regional presence while supporting the development of national wind associations and industry bodies across the continent, including the establishment of the Nigerian Wind Energy Council. Muchiri will continue to support GWEC and AWP in an advisory capacity.
AWP key to drive wind deployment in Africa
Tasked with unlocking the continent’s massive pipeline of nearly 200 GW in planned wind projects, Kainga’s leadership will be vital in dismantling structural policy gaps, mobilizing alternative financing mechanisms, and building out the grid infrastructure necessary to turn Africa’s immense wind potential into operational power.
Central to executing this mandate will be her stewardship of the Africa WindPower (AWP) platform. Launched by GWEC in September 2021 with support from GET.invest, AWP was established to provide a unified voice for the wind industry and to create a dedicated platform for proactive dialogue between the private sector and government stakeholders.
“Africa has almost 200 GW of planned wind projects facing structural gaps in policy, grid infrastructure, alternative routes to market and innovative financing mechanisms to move these projects into construction and operation phases,” said Juliana Kainga, Director, Africa WindPower, Global Wind Energy Council.
“I am excited to get started with this important work at GWEC to unlock investment, strengthen local industries, and help realise Africa’s vast wind energy potential,” Kainga added.
While the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates Africa’s technical wind potential at an extraordinary 59,000 GW, the continent has historically tapped into a fraction of a percent of this resource due to fragmented frameworks and lack of scale. As an essential conduit connecting energy ministries, utilities, regulators, and the financial community, AWP is crucial to derisking the regional market.
Driving AWP forward will be the cornerstone of Kainga’s role, leveraging her deep project finance background to transition AWP’s extensive advocacy work into concrete, grid-connected wind infrastructure across the continent.
