Wilford Mwanza is a versatile electrical engineer with experience spanning from electrical power plant technical design to energy sector business development and policymaking. He has designed, participated in, advised, and managed an estimated cumulative 2,000,000,000W renewable energy projects at an estimated value of US$1.8 billion in countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Nigeria, Kenya, and Botswana, and has consulted for renewable energy project developers from, inter alia, China, United Kingdom, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. He is one of the lead engineers currently implementing the inaugural Battery Energy Storage System 500MWh (US$200 million) for Eskom in South Africa, and in the past year alone Wilford worked on the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) up to commissioning of several renewable energy plants in Zimbabwe. (TD Energy 40MW (engineering approved), Solgas 5MW solar (commissioned), Tsanga A hydro 5MW solar (commissioned), Blanket mine 24.4MW (currently commissioning).
Wilford has previously worked for the national power utility in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company where he initiated a couple of projects, with the flagship being a roadmap to transform the national grid into a smart grid.
Wilford has attempted to build his own power station before and has recognized as one of Forbes Africa 30 under 30.
Wilford made history at the 2017 Enactus World Cup in London by being the first person from Africa to ever win the Enactus Worldwide Global Alumni of the Year Award. Wilford is a member of the inaugural global team of the United Nations Unleashlab talents (Copehnagen, Denmark) that co-created a roadmap for the implementation of the SDGs, specifically in energy financing. As a delegate for the Yenching Global Symposium at Peking University in Beijing, he advised on Sino-Africa partnerships on the Belt and Road Initiative. Wilford is a Mandela Washington Fellow in President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative and is one of the winners of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurs for Africa 2018.