Towela is an electrical engineer and development practitioner with more than 20 years’ experience working in the private sector, academia and international development. She is the Head of Secretariat for the Africa-EU Energy Partnership which seeks to advance cooperation between the two continents towards a sustainable energy transition and green future. She worked for 15 years in various capacities with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and brings extensive knowledge and experience in programme development, coordination, and implementation of cross-border projects in Africa. In her last 5 years at AUDA-NEPAD she led teams focused on infrastructure development, energy, digitalisation & cybersecurity, advancing key initiatives such as the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Africa Water Investment Program (AIP), the AU Digital Transformation Strategy and the Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP).