Peace Chemis Mnelemba
Founder and Director
An Aquaculture systems engineer with extensive skills in system designing, sizing, installation and management. He has worked with big projects like I LOVE FISH, where he constructed first biggest aquaponic systems in Malawi at Bunda College and Benga Parish. He has devised a way to produce expanded clay locally. He worked as Research and Business Development Manager at Quantum for Urban Agriculture, Livelihoods and Environmental Sanitation (QUALIVES) where he coordinated projects in sustainable farming such as Integrated Agriculture Aquaculture (IAA) and Aquaponics systems. He also partnered with Innovative Fish Farmers Network Trust (IFFNT) as a facilitator in Aquaponics trainings and as system engineer. Peace has 3 year experience as an adjunct lecture at Bunda College where he lectured both Undergraduate and Masters students in Aquaculture Engineering, Aquaculture and Environment, and Limnology and Oceanography.
Mofolo Sifo
Project Manager
An Aquaculture expert specialized in Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture Systems (IAA) including Aquaponics. He is currently working as Aquaculture Manager at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Mwayi Mnelemba
Project Officer
Mwayi T Mnelemba is a dedicated professional with a Bachelor's Degree in Soil Science from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). Currently serving as a Project Officer for Aquaponics for Life (A4L), she contributes to the organization's mission and activities aimed at facilitating climate smart circular bioeconomy.
In her role as a High School Science Teacher at Bambino International Schools, Mwayi is actively engaged in teaching the Stage 11 class, preparing students for the IGCSE examinations. Prior to her teaching career, she held positions such as Farm Manager at Makandi Coffee and Tea Estate and Sales Representative at FDH Bank, showcasing her versatility and expertise in different domains.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Mwayi is a co-founding member of Students Support Network (SSN), a platform dedicated to assisting needy college students with entrepreneurial skills for self-sustainability. She is also at the forefront of the Generation Game Changers (GGC) project, reaching out to primary schools to educate children on preventing corruption for a better future in Malawi.
Mwayi's leadership extends to her previous role as Vice President of Bunda Peer Educators (BUPEC), advocating for sexual and reproductive health issues. Furthermore, she serves as the Secretary for the Malawi Southern Region Volleyball Association and actively participates in the coaching staff of the Spikers Female Volleyball Team.
Her multifaceted skill set includes educational leadership, project management, community engagement, and effective networking. Mwayi's commitment to various community initiatives reflects her passion for making a positive impact, aligning seamlessly with her responsibilities as a Project Officer for A4L. Her involvement in both professional and community roles underscores her dedication to holistic development and sustainable practices.
Godfrey Mtongola
Project Engineer
Irrigation engineeth brr wioad experience in Agricultural extension services in engineering, construction and maintenance of irrigation systems. He has worked as Senior Irrigation Supervisor at Lossaco and Company Limited in Zambia, Irrigation Engineer at Lilongwe and Phalombe Irrigation offices, Assistant Estate Manager at Gala Tobacco Farming, and Director at Synthesis Agriculture Consultancy.
Titani Joseph Mkanalumo
Communications & Marketing Officer
Joseph is a well-integrated and versatile individual with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism with over six years of local and international experience.
Emmanuel Alinafe Maliro
Engineer
Emmanuel Maliro is currently pursuing MSC Irrigation Engineering at LUANAR. He has worked with River of Life as a Project Coordinator and he is experienced in data management, project planning and coordination.
Maziko Precious Naliya
Engineer
An enthusiastic and result oriented engineer experienced in agricultural machinery and irrigation equipment technology. He has a wide knowledge in engineering planning, designing and supervision.
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Bernd Ueberschär
Senior Scientist
Dr. Bernd Ueberschär studied Electrical engineering at the Technical University, Berlin, and subsequently Marine Biology, Fisheries Biology, Physical Oceanography, Biochemistry and Marine Zoology and obtained an MSc in Biology in 1985 at the University of Kiel and a PhD in Biology from the University of Hamburg. Early in his career, he worked at the Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM in Kiel, Germany) on the life strategies and ecology of marine fish larvae and juveniles and was participating as a major collaborator and board member in the compilation of the database Fish- and LarvalBase. His current research interests include finfish aquaculture, specifically the early life stages and their nutritional physiology, auqaponics, and fisheries biology. He has participated in numerous research projects with various topics, partially in developing countries and countries in transition. Since 2012, Bernd is affiliated to the Association for marine Aquaculture in Büsum, Germany (GMA) where he is the team leader of larval and juvenile fish research. Since 4 years, he is also dedicated to the "Ich liebe Fisch"-Project in Malawi as a scientific coordinator. In this project, he has developed a special hatchery technology including a solar power plant for developing countries, and has supervised, jointly with the project coordinator of the EMB (Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology and Cell Technology) the various activities in the project. The most recent activity in this project is the supervision of the compilation of a pilot plant on the production of proteins from Black Soldier Fly maggots in order to improve significantly the fish feed quality for rural farmer in Malawi.
As a member of the advisory board of the NGO "Aquaponics for Life" his role is to provide directions for a transition of the aquaponics technoloogy from experimental into professional scales under consideration of the special conditions in Africa, to raise opportunities for the application of aquaponics and to provide his technical skills and scientific expertise in the operation of aquaponic facilities. Apart from dedication to research objectives, Bernd Ueberschär is a professional photographer, operates photo drones and is knowlegeable in website programming, internet administration and is encouraged in external communication and education related to his expertise.
Thorsten Knörr
Software Engineer
From his professional background, Thorsten Knörr is a specialist and consultant in e-commerce payments and fraud prevention. Nevertheless, hes has been interested in aquaculture since he was a little boy, when he was involved into the small-scale fish production of his grandfather. Just by chance, Thorsten watched the documentary about the project "Ich liebe Fisch" in the German televison (e-planet) and was immediately attracted from the project activities. As a follow up of a talk with the project manager about the project, Thorsten decided to support the project in Malawi. Specifically Thorsten was interested in the emerging aquaponic activities in Malawi and offered his support to get things started. Thorsten spend his three month sabbatical in Malawi in 2019 and boosted the auqaponic activities in Benga Parish. Among many other activities, he was establishing a local clay pebble production in order to make the most approriate substrate available for Aaquaponic facilities in Malawi. The methods he has established are now turned into a small business for localcommunities. Thorsten has now a conclusive knowledge about aquaponics and adjacent areas and wants support further this promising production method for fish and vegetables to develop into a significant business in Malawi.