The ISLA team grows as the initiative expands

Three new people have joined the ISLA global team in the past few months: Dr. N´golo Fanny as ISLA senior stakeholder manager in Côte d´Ivoire; Mahlet Shebabaw as program managers in Ethiopia and Sanne Heijnen, as program officer based in Utrecht.

Three new people have joined the ISLA global team in the past few months: Dr. N´golo Fanny as ISLA senior stakeholder manager in Côte d´Ivoire; Mahlet Shebabaw as program managers in Ethiopia and Sanne Heijnen, as program officer based in Utrecht.

Dr Fanny has more than 20 years of experience in natural resource management and development projects. Besides his role at ISLA, he is the Executive Director of the Foundation for the National Parks and Reserves of Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a masters degree in tropical ecology and a PhD in Veterinary science. He is based in Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire and will work towards stakeholder alignment and the implementation of ISLA in Côte d’Ivoire landscape.

Mahlet Shebabaw is the Program Manager for ISLA Central Rift Valley landscape, based in Ziway, Ethiopia. She has a sound background in agri-business in Ethiopia and has worked in various places in Ethiopia and South Africa primarily in academia. Mahlet holds a master’s degree in Environmental Management.

Sanne Heijnen is the Utrecht-based program officer and coordinator for the African landscapes, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia. She has international experience as a consultant and as a researcher with focus on sustainable energy and Africa. Prior to joining IDH, Sanne worked as a consultant for Energy Access and Business Development at ETC Foundation; as a researcher in various universities including LEI-WUR, and did extensive fieldwork in Africa. Sanne holds a Master’s degree in Innovation Sciences, with a focus on renewable energy in developing countries.