Electric Power and Clean Energy
James Baanabe Isingoma is a Senior Specialist in Electric Power and Clean Energy.
James brings 28+ years of experience and senior roles in the Ugandan Energy Sector: in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), serving as Commissioner of Energy and later as Director of Energy Resources Development. He has extensive experience in electricity sector governance, sector reforms, power project development, power project implementation, and supporting private sector actors.
He served in key roles in the Government of Uganda (GoU) team that led the complex privatization reforms of the Ugandan power sector, one of the first such reforms on the African continent. The reforms unbundled and privatized the power sector, which led to major international private investments -- resulting in improved sector performance and new investments in the electric power and renewable energy value chains. He has extensive international experience across several African nations, providing ORI clients with strategic guidance and insights in the design and implementation of sector investments, strategies, and projects.
He is also an expert in the management of energy sector projects. His experience includes preparing and reviewing Power Purchase Agreements, and commercial advisory services to energy sector investors looking at energy transition. James has led or played significant roles in many power and energy projects funded by private investors, governments, and donor agencies in Uganda. Examples include: Roadmap for Productive Use of Energy, Energy Expert for the Utilities 2.0 Project, and Coordinator of the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded Modern Energy Cooking Services program in Uganda that promotes clean cooking activities. He was a lead consultant in the Expert Regulatory Review of the Electricity Sector in Africa and a Delivery Lead in the development of a Roadmap for Power Sector Transformation in Uganda, for the FCDO funded Cities and Infrastructure for Growth (CIG) program, in which ORI was an implementation partner. He also represented the GoU on the GET-Fit program, where he led the work to standardize PPAs and Implementation Agreements, resulting in the fast-track development of 17 renewable generation energy projects with a total generation capacity of 150 MW. He participated in designing and supervising the Energy for Rural Transformation III project, which was financed by The World Bank and implemented by MEMD. He has also been involved in energy management activities, including energy auditing and demand side management.
James earned an MBA from ESAMI, an MSc. in Energy Studies from Sheffield University in the United Kingdom, and a BSc. in Industrial Chemistry from Makerere University. He is a Certified Energy Auditor.