Fortunate Farirai
Africa
Zimbabwe
I look forward to mobilising more activities that unite women scientists such as conferences and workshops, and to encouraging activities that support young girls from the grassroots level to have interest in scientific fields.
Vision statement
Women scientists in the OWSD Africa region are taking the young girls to their level through mentorship.
The main thrust is to unite women scientists from the developing world as well as developed nations. I look forward to mobilising more activities that unite women scientists such as conferences and workshops. I am looking forward to encouraging activities that support young girls from the grassroots level to have interest in scientific fields. For example, as the OWSD Zimbabwe National Chapter we have managed to do a scientific writing workshop which assisted mature women scientists in developing scientific writing techniques. We also did science outreach with the aim of targeting young girls who need motivation to like science.
Candidate’s bio
Fortunate Farirai is an experienced engineering professional in the field of renewable energy. She holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Wits) and is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers. She is also an associate member of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences. She holds an MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and a BSc (Hon) in Chemical Technology from the Midlands State University, both in Zimbabwe.
From 2012 to date, Fortunate has contributed to various R&D projects within Southern Africa and regularly interfaces with the international energy community. She also worked as a Senior Research Engineer in the Energy Technology Institute at the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) in Zimbabwe. After her PhD, in 2020, she founded and is the current Director of Sustenergy, a company dedicated to a cause that is very close to her heart, renewable energy.
Fortunate is highly passionate about the holistic growth of her community and thus dedicates a significant portion of her time to national and voluntary service. Currently, she is the Green Hydrogen Atlas Africa Project Team Leader for Zimbabwe, an initiative by German Federal Ministry of Research and Education, Forschungszentrum Jülich, SASSCAL and SACREEE to determine the green hydrogen potential of the Southern Africa which is very critical considering the importance of the resource in future energy scenarios. She is also among the four selected Post- Doctoral Fellows in Africa for the Green Hydrogen Atlas Africa Project. In 2021, she led a project on the Development of Bankable Solar Thermal Technology Proposal for Zimbabwe under the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, UNDP and SOLTRAIN. She was also part of the team that developed the National Energy Efficiency Policy for Zimbabwe in 2020. Also, she is the incumbent Chairperson of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, Zimbabwe National Chapter. The work brings her much joy as she gets to help empower women in related career fields, assist in strengthening their professional network and facilitate activities that augment their competitiveness in the modern workplace.
In collaboration with members of her network at Wits, UZ and other industry partners she has published research articles in high-impact factor international journals and also presented at various technical conferences in Europe and Africa. She has also co-authored a book chapter. Even today, her research momentum remains as evidenced by the many articles she continues to publish.
Unique to her, despite the demanding professional and academic life, she is a proud and dedicated wife and mother to 3 energetic boys. She happily claims that her family is the greatest source of support and strength in her work. Due to her strong pioneering spirit, Fortunate is also an active entrepreneur. In 2015, she co-founded and is currently a director of Wise Petroleum, a company involved in fuel handling and distribution in Zimbabwe.
Prizes and Awards
- Distinguished Women in Industry and Academia Award at the 2nd African Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Conference, December 2020
- 2nd Best GradFlash at 10th Wits Postgraduate Research Symposium, September 2019.
- Wits University PhD Post Graduate Merit Award, 2017-2019.
- 2nd Prize Midlands Province Best Young Exhibitor, September 2007
