🔷 Creative Team & Founders
Turning Vision into Energy. Transforming Potential into Prosperity.
Mtwara LNG is more than an energy infrastructure project — it’s a blueprint for Africa’s clean industrial revolution, born from deep regional collaboration and bold, future-focused leadership.
Our founding team is composed of influential thinkers, builders, and financiers with decades of experience in infrastructure, energy policy, project finance, and ESG innovation. Together, we are redefining how gas fuels inclusive growth — across borders, sectors, and generations.
⚙️ The Creative Force Behind the Project
Our multidisciplinary team brings together:
- Gas engineering and LNG logistics specialists with hands-on experience in virtual pipeline systems, liquefaction, regasification, and NGV deployment
- PPP and infrastructure finance architects who have mobilized capital for billion-dollar corridor projects across East and Southern Africa
- Policy leaders and legal minds who’ve shaped national energy frameworks and negotiated cross-border energy compacts
- Climate-conscious entrepreneurs building links between African resilience and European green capital
This unique mix of local insight and global expertise allows us to build projects that are bankable, sustainable, and locally transformative.
🔷 Meet the Founders
🔹 Eng. Mercy Chilumba
Chief Executive Officer, Mtwara LNG Ltd
Mercy is a leading voice in Tanzania’s energy transition. With over 7 years of experience in natural gas engineering and downstream distribution, she has pioneered the rollout of virtual LNG and CNG infrastructure — from NGV conversions to industrial delivery networks. As founder of N-Gas Ltd and director of Meic Recycler, she champions clean, inclusive energy solutions tailored to African realities. A registered engineer, member of SPE and NGVA Tanzania, Mercy is also a gender equity leader in the energy sector, mentoring women engineers and entrepreneurs.
“We’re not just building an LNG terminal. We’re building the clean engine for Africa’s industrial leap.”
🔹 Peter Chemuigut
Chairman, Viability Gap Plc (Kenya)
Peter is an infrastructure economist and PPP strategist who has spent 15+ years designing public-private investments across East Africa. From agri-industrial parks to energy corridors, he is renowned for building coalitions between government, private capital, and communities. His expertise in turnaround finance and stakeholder negotiation is vital to Mtwara LNG’s regional success. As CEO of Viability Gap Plc, he mobilizes global capital for impactful, locally owned infrastructure.
🔹 Mr. Heri Mchunga
Board Member, CEO – N-Gas Tanzania Ltd
With over two decades in energy and logistics, Heri is one of Tanzania’s pioneering gas entrepreneurs. He led the establishment of one of the country’s first private LNG companies, supplying re-gasification, storage, and transport services across the region. He also owns Macadamia Logistics and Nengelo Energy, and is Vice Chairman of the Cotton Development Trust Fund (CDTF). His deep networks in government and business strengthen Mtwara LNG’s grassroots and institutional reach.
🔹 Joe DeSwardt
Board Member, CEO – Placemakers (SA), Chair – Urbuntu (UK)
Joe brings over 30 years of experience managing infrastructure and capital projects in emerging markets. His work spans everything from climate-resilient housing to energy logistics, helping structure major turnarounds in both the public and private sectors. As founder of Placemakers and Urbuntu, Joe focuses on integrating infrastructure development with social impact — making him a key driver of Mtwara LNG’s ESG strategy and inclusive growth model.
🔹 Daniel Guder
Board Member, Chairman – GEFCO AS (Norway)
A sustainability entrepreneur and humanitarian leader, Daniel brings 25+ years of experience connecting African energy projects with European capital. As the founder of GEFCO AS and a senior member of the Africa Chamber of Commerce Scandinavia, he champions partnerships that advance environmental goals,
economic inclusion, and energy access. He plays a crucial role in aligning Mtwara LNG with global climate finance and EU green energy targets.
🔹 Ms. Lucy Daudi Kiangi
Company Secretary
Lucy is a seasoned corporate legal advisor with a strong footprint in energy, construction, and infrastructure. As a practicing advocate of the Tanzanian High Court and founding partner of Nouveau Consultants, she has supported major public-private projects across the SADC region. Lucy ensures that Mtwara LNG is governed by the highest standards of transparency, legal integrity, and stakeholder trust.
🌍 Why This Team?
Together, this team brings:
- 50+ years of sectoral expertise
- Regional credibility across SADC and EAC
- Investor confidence and policy alignment
- Track records of delivery in difficult environments
We are not just project developers. We are nation-builders, clean energy architects, and partners in Africa’s transformation.