- Dr. Sindila Mwiya (PhD, PG Cert, MPhil, BEng (Hons), PrEng)
- Dr. Vita Stankevica (PhD, PG Cert, MSc, BSc)
Dr. Sindila Mwiya Summary Profile
Dr Sindila Mwiya has more than twenty (20) years of practical field-based technical industry experience in Environmental Assessment (SEA, EIA, EMP, EMS), Energy (Renewable and Non-renewable energy sources), onshore and offshore resources (minerals, oil, gas and water) exploration / prospecting, operation and utilisation, covering general and specialist technical exploration and recovery support, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) permitting for Geophysical Surveys such as 2D, 3D and 4D Seismic, Gravity and Electromagnetic Surveys for mining, energy and petroleum (oil and gas) operations support, through to engineering planning, layout, designing, logistical support, recovery, production / operations, compliance monitoring, rehabilitation, closure and aftercare projects lifecycles. He continues to work internationally in the resources (mining and petroleum) and energy sectors, from permitting through to exploration and production. From the frontier regions (high risk hydrocarbons exploration zones) of South Africa and Namibia, to the prolific oil and gas fields of the Middle East, Angola and the West African Gulf of Guinea, Dr Mwiya has been directly involved in field-based aerial, ground and marine geophysical (gravity, magnetics and seismic) surveys, been onboard exploration drilling rigs, onboard production platforms, conducted public and stakeholder consultations and engagements, and worked with highly technical and well organised and committed clients and third-party teams from emerging and well established global resources and energy companies from many countries such as the UK, France, USA, Russia, Canada, Croatia, Norway, the Netherland, Spain, Brazil, China, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Nigeria. He is fully aware of all the competing interests and niche donation-based business environmental advocacy opportunism that exists in the resources sector from the local, regional, and international perspectives.
Through his companies, Risk-Based Solutions (RBS) and Sivieda Group Namibia (SGN) which he founded, he has undertaken more than 200 projects for Local (Namibian), Continental (Africa) and International (Global) based clients. He has worked and continues to work for Global, Continental and Namibian based reputable resources (petroleum and mining / minerals) and energy companies such as Shell Namibia B. V. Limited (Namibia/ the Netherlands), Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd (REN/ReconAfrica) (UK/Canada/Namibia), Debmarine (DBMN) (Namibia), Osino Resource Corporation (Canada/USA/Namibia), MEL (UK, Namibia), Dundee Precious Metals (Namibia / Canada), Headspring Investment (Namibia/ Russia), EMGS (UK/ Norway), Lepidico (Australia / UK), Best Sheer / Bohale (Namibia / China), CGG Services UK Limited (UK/ France/Namibia), BW Offshore (Norway/Singapore /Namibia), Tullow Oil (UK/Namibia), Petrobras Oil and Gas (Brazil) / BP (UK)/ Namibia, REPSOL (Spain/ Namibia), ACREP (Namibia/Angola), Preview Energy Resources (UK), HRT Africa (Brazil / USA/ Namibia), Chariot Oil and Gas Exploration (UK/ Namibia), NABIRM (USA/ Namibia), Serica Energy (UK/ Namibia), Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas (Canada / USA/ Namibia), ION GeoVentures (USA), PGS UK Exploration (UK), TGS-Nopec (UK), Maurel & Prom (France/ Namibia), GeoPartners (UK), PetroSA Equatorial Guinea (South Africa / Equatorial Guinea/ Namibia), Preview Energy Resources (Namibia / UK), Sintezneftegaz Namibia Ltd (Russia/ Namibia), INA Namibia (INA INDUSTRIJA NAFTE d.d) (Croatia/ Namibia), Namibia Underwater Technologies (NUTAM) (South Africa/Namibia), InnoSun Holdings (Pty) Ltd and all its subsidiary renewable energy companies and projects in Namibia (Namibia / France), HopSol (Namibia/Switzerland), Momentous Solar One (Pty) Ltd (Namibia / Canada), OLC Northern Sun Energy (Pty) Ltd (Namibia) and more than 100 local companies. Dr Sindila Mwiya is highly qualified with extensive practical field-based experience in petroleum, mining, renewable energy (Solar, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal and Hydropower), Non-Renewable energy (Coal, Petroleum, and Natural Gas), applied environmental assessment, management, and monitoring (Scoping, EIA, EMP, EMP, EMS) and overall industry specific HSE, cleaner production programmes, Geoenvironmental, geological and geotechnical engineering specialist fields.
Dr Sindila Mwiya has undertaken and continues to undertake and manage high value projects on behalf of global and local resources and energy companies. Currently, (2020-2023) Dr Sindila Mwiya is responsible for permitting planning through to operational and completion compliance monitoring, HSE and engineering technical support for multiple major upstream onshore and offshore petroleum, minerals, and mining projects, Solar and Wind Energy Projects, manufacturing and environmentally sustainable, automated / smart and Climate Change resilient homes developments in different parts of the World including Namibia. He continues to work as a National Technical Permitting Advisor, International Resources Consultant, Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) / Environmentally Sustainable, automated / smart and Climate Change resilient homes developer, Engineering / Technical Consultant for RBS / Sivieda Group, Project Manager, Programme Advisor for the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and has worked as a Lecturer, University of Namibia (UNAM), External Examiner/ Moderator, NUST, National (Namibia) Technical Advisor (Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism / DANIDA – Cleaner Production Component) and Chief Geologist for Engineering and Environment Division, Geological Survey of Namibia, Ministry of Mines and Energy and a Field-Based Geotechnician (Specialised in Magnetics, Seismic, Gravity and Electromagnetics Exploration and Survey Methods) under the Federal Institute for Geoscience and Natural Resources (BGR) German Mineral Exploration Promotion Project to Namibia, Geophysics Division, Geological Survey of Namibia, Ministry of Mines and Energy.
He has supervised and continues to support several MScs and PhDs research programmes / projects and has been a reviewer on international, national and regional researches, plans, programmes and projects with the objective to ensure substantial local skills development, pivotal to the national socioeconomic development through the promotion of sustainable natural resources coexistence, management, development, recovery, utilisation and for development policies, plans, programmes and projects financed by governments, private investors, and Namibian development partners. Since 2006 until 2017, he has provided extensive technical support to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) through GIZ in the preparation and amendments of the Namibian Environmental Management Act, 2007, (Act No. 7 of 2007), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Regulations, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations as well as the SEA and EIA Guidelines and Procedures all aimed at promoting effective environmental assessment and management practices in Namibia. Among his academic achievements, Dr Sindila Mwiya is a holder of a PhD within the broader fields of Engineering Geology/Geotechnical / Geoenvironmental / Environmental Engineering and Artificial Intelligence with a research thesis titled Development of a Knowledge-Based System Methodology (KBSM) for the Design of Solid Waste Disposal Sites in Arid and Semiarid Environments, MPhil/PG Cert and BEng (Hons) (Engineering Geology and Geotechnics) qualifications from the University of Portsmouth, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, United Kingdom. During the 2004 Namibia National Science Awards, organised by the Namibian Ministry of Education, and held in Windhoek, Dr Sindila Mwiya was awarded the Geologist of the Year for 2004, in the professional category. Furthermore, as part of his professional career recognition, Dr Sindila Mwiya is a life member of the Geological Society of Namibia, Consulting member of the Hydrogeological Society of Namibia and a Professional Engineer registered with the Engineering Council of Namibia.
Dr. Vita Stankevica Summary Profile
Dr. Vita Stankeviča has more than sixteen (16) years of professional direct industry experience in environmental assessment, management and monitoring support in sustainable resources utilisation and large, medium, and small-scale infrastructural development activities in Namibia and SADC region. She has extensive knowledge in physical environment and its interaction with human activities with respect to current and future perspectives in environmental protection and sustainable natural resources utilisation. She has undertaken Scoping, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) for policies, plans and programmes as well as site-specific support to large, medium, and small-scale project activities covering Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP). She is highly specialised in socioeconomic and sustainability assessments, performance, stakeholders engagements and compliance monitoring support for a sustainable people-centred rural and urban stability, growth and development, linked with the joint assistance of private-public local and regional development planning in an environment of global resources competition.
She has worked and continue to work for global reputable resources companies from UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Spain, Israel, Croatia, Sweden, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa. She has worked as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP), Project Manager, Technical Consultant and Manager (RBS / FGN). Dr. Vita Stankeviča is the GIS and environmental foresight of Risk-Based Solutions. She has extensive experience in programme management and administration with skills gained from the Risk-Based Based Solutions, Foresight Group Namibia, Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank project development and implementation processes. She has been involved in several natural resources development and environmental plans, programmes and projects in Namibia and these include the Integrated Community-based Ecosystem Management (ICEMA), Country Pilot Partnership (CPP) for Sustainable Land Management and Promoting Environmental Sustainability through improved land use planning (PESILUP) and Namib Coast Biodiversity Conservation and Management (NACOMA) Projects. In all the policies, plans, programme and projects that she has undertaken Environmental Assessments (EA), Dr. Vita Stankeviča has brought together the context of local and regional rural and urban development planning to evolve sustainably together with the revitalisation integration of Namibia’s resources industry in global markets
Among her academic achievements, Dr. Vita Stankeviča has a PhD in Geography from the University of Namibia (Research Titled: Development of Mining Settlements in Namibia: An Investigation into Prospects for Rosh Pinah; Klein Aub and Tsumeb). Her research has identified possible solutions that could guide towards sustainable growth and development of mining settlements in Namibia. Furthermore, Dr. Vita Stankeviča holds a Post-graduate Certificate (Distinction) in Perspectives of Environment and Sustainable Development in the Baltic Region. University of Kalmar (Sweden), a MSc. degree in Regional Planning and Development and a BSc. degree in Geography / programme in Physical Geography both from the University of Latvia. Dr. Vita Stankeviča holds vast experience in both disciplines of geography (human and physical), excellent knowledge of physical environment and its processes, as well as its interaction with human activities. She holds the following great experience and experience:
- stakeholders consultations and engagement process, coordination, collaboration and all centred on interpersonal and people skills.
- Technical Knowledge: Experience in resources (mining and petroleum industries), socioeconomic assessments, waste management, urban and rural related land use attributes / impacts and constraints investigation, management, monitoring and mitigation requirements
- Programme Management and Administration: broad experience in management and administration of different local and national projects, experience in working with different stakeholders (government, non-government organizations, CBOs, donors, international bodies, academics, and general public), good organisational skills and time management.
- Urban and rural planning and development: experience in preparation of different development plans for municipalities, extensive experience in urban socio-economic issues, deep understanding of environmental and social processes in urban areas, ability to think strategically, open toward new ideas
- Organisation of workshop, seminars and meetings: experience in organisation of workshops, seminars and meetings including international, preparation of logistics, reports and documents relevant to such activities
- Computing: excellent knowledge of personal computers and relevant software packages such as MS Office, Excel, Power Point, Publisher, ArcView and AutoCAD.
- Interpersonal skills: responsible and initiative, good communication ability, easy to work in a team and multicultural environment