SGAC Announces the Winners of the 2024 AF-SLA Competition
Embracing diversity is the cornerstone of SGAC’s principles. The goal of the African Space Leaders Award is to provide an opportunity for interaction between members of the African space sector with diverse geographic and professional backgrounds. SGAC is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 African Space Leader Award. The winners will be sponsored to attend the 8th African Pacific Space Generation Workshop to be held on November 20-21, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Lily Rospeen Asongfac (Cameroon)
Lily Asongfac is a telecommunications engineer and space enthusiast from Cameroon, with over five years of experience in the space industry. She is the founder of the Aerospace Baby Project, an initiative that educates and inspires young Africans to explore careers in aerospace and STEM. As the National Point of Contact for SGAC in Cameroon, Lily has played a significant role in organizing local and regional space events, including two African Space Generation Workshops. She has contributed to various international projects, including collaborating on a UNICEF paper and working with SpaceVrse Pte Ltd. Lily is also a TechWomen Fellow and has visited NASA JPL, Jacobs Aerospace, and Silicon Valley’s space industry. Her work focuses on leveraging space technology to achieve sustainable development goals in Africa.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a winner of the African Space Leader Award. This award not only acknowledges the contributions of young Africans in the space sector but also inspires us to continue pushing boundaries. I am excited to leverage this opportunity to further champion digital innovation and sustainable development across Africa.”
Travis Malizani (Malawi)
Travis Malizani holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering (Flight Vehicle Design) from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is currently working as a UAV innovation engineer and Instructor at the African Drone and Data Academy. He is also country coordinator for Malawi at the Southern Africa Regional Office of Astronomy for Development and National Point of Contact for Malawi at the Space Generation Advisory Council respectively. Travis is an alumnus of the 2022 Pan-African School of Emerging Astronomers.
Travis has committed his career to building capacity for the Space Industry in the African region through his various roles and activities. His career focus is on the research and development capabilities of space-related technologies within Africa while assisting in building capacity of space programs within the continent and inspiring young people to pursue space related careers. Travis has maintained his resolve to use space alongside his expertise as a tool for solving African and Global problems throughout his career. Travis will soon be beginning his Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering with research interests in Overall Launch Vehicle Design and Space mission design and analysis. Travis is a participant of the small satellites group of the SGAC.
” I am truly and deeply honored to be a recipient of the 2024 African Space Leader Award. In line with the theme for this year’s Africa Space Generation workshop, this award highlights to me that the SGAC is committed to capacity building of the African Space industry and provides young people with a unique platform to communicate their voices to the wider space community. Whilst it all started with a dream of taking Malawi to Space, I am excited to use this platform to continue making an impact in Africa’s space future. My gratitude to the SGAC for this award and I look forward to contributing to the 8th African space generation workshop.”
Emebet Mehabaw (Ethiopia)
Emebet Mehabaw is an accomplished aerospace engineering student and the National Point of Contact for Ethiopia, representing her country’s interests in the global space arena. As an active member of the Space Exploration Group within the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), she is instrumental in advancing the future of space exploration and technology.
Her distinguished achievements include being a bronze winner and Ambassador of the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition, highlighting her expertise and dedication in the field. Emebet is committed to fostering international collaboration and driving innovation, with a particular focus on integrating Africa’s perspectives into global space discussions.
With a strong dedication to academic and professional excellence, Emebet’s professional journey reflects her commitment to youth involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration in the space sector and driving impactful solutions in the aerospace sector. Her work aims to integrate Africa’s unique perspectives into global space discussions, paving the way for a future where Ethiopia and Africa are key players in space exploration and innovation.
“I am beyond grateful to receive the African Space Leader Award. This prestigious recognition inspires me to keep pushing forward, developing solutions that uplift our communities and contribute to a strong African space industry. I accept this award not just for myself, but for everyone who shares the vision of a thriving African presence in space. The future is full of possibilities, and I’m excited to help shape a new era of African space innovation. My sincere gratitude to my father, Mehabaw Tegegne.”
Dornald Mutasa Mhlanga (Zimbabwe)
Dornald M Mhlanga is the Founder of The Guru’s Lab. He drives the lab’s scientific simulations and research, partnership engagements and work together with the lab’s talented and passionate researchers and members through pioneering scientific ideas. A Zimbabwe native, Dornald is currently pursuing a career in Applied Physics, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. He is part of the African Space Station project ushered by All Nations University. He designed a planetary landing technique prototype for the entry , descent, navigation and landing of Perseverance rover on Mars in 2020, a UAV rotor based quadcopter in 2022 and worked on several near space exploration projects that includes the Spritacular: an ILAN RAKIA project to detect sprites 328 080 feet above the International Space Station as it passes over specific positions, (orchestrated by Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Reichmann University and National University of Science and Technology, ZW.) He also served as the Vice President of a students space board at the National University of Science and Technology in 2022. In 2021 he pioneered the International Space Apps Challenges in Zimbabwe and served as the 2022 Global Space Apps Mentor. He featured and participated among the young 30 emerging global space leaders in 2023, and the pioneering cohort of the United States’ NASA Space Apps Collectives. A leader and voice for emerging scientific simulations and innovations, he is also currently the 2024 NASA International Space Apps Challenges Local Lead for organizing the largest space Apps hackathon in the solar system, for Bulawayo. Additionally, he studied Astronomy: Exploring Space and Time.
Beyond Dornald’s professional work, he is an avid supporter of cosmic exploration, lover of outdoors.
” Alone I can be a genius but as a united team we achieve precision and brilliance. SGAC: The intersection of passion and innovation, where space leaders of tomorrow gather and unite to shape a brighter future in space, from the stars to the galaxies. I’m really honored to be part of the council and the winner of the AFSLA.”