June 7, 2024, Windhoek, Namibia – Patrick Kampengele and Kutlo Modie of Knight Piésold Southern Africa took centre stage at the 30th FIDIC Africa Infrastructure Conference, which was held from May 26 to 29 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Both active members of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Africa, Kampengele, Managing Director of Knight Piésold Zambia, received an award for contributions to the industry, and Modie, a civil engineer at Knight Piésold Namibia, served as director of ceremonies for the conference’s Future Leaders Symposium.

The conference, which was hosted by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Tanzania, featured presentations aligned with the theme, “Innovations and Infrastructure Development for Sustainable Projects,” covering topics such as the circular economy, smart infrastructure, infrastructure financing, and eco-friendly advancements, with a focus on their applicability to the African context. Hon. Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, Vice President of Tanzania, and Prof. PLO Lumumba, Director of the Kenya School of Law, were the guest of honour and keynote speaker, respectively.

Kampengele, a member of FIDIC Africa’s Executive Committee (EXCO), was presented with an award by Abe Thela, outgoing President of FIDIC Africa, at the gala dinner, in honour of his contributions to the consulting engineering industry through his participation in the EXCO for the past two years.

Based in Knight Piésold’s Kitwe office, Kampengele has more than 30 years of experience in the transportation, mining, and energy industries, undertaking full cycle project development from planning to detailed design and construction management. He first worked at Knight Piésold in the early 1990s for ten years before returning in 2014 when the company re-established in Zambia.

Other events included a welcome reception, a local colour night showcasing traditional African attire and entertainment, and excursions to the Serengeti or Zanzibar to explore local sights. Hundreds of delegates from across Africa attended the conference.

Modie served as the director of ceremonies for the Future Leaders Symposium, a full-day event dedicated to the contributions and activities of Future Leaders, young professionals under the age of 40, in relation to the conference theme.

A member of FIDIC Africa’s Future Leaders Advisory Council (FLAC), Modie coordinated the symposium proceedings, leveraging her engineering background to seamlessly integrate technical aspects into the event. She also presented her work with FLAC, highlighting the council's role in uniting young engineers across the continent, amplifying their voices, and positioning them on a global platform. She noted the progress of Future Leader groups across Africa, including in South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. Her efforts extended to assisting Tanzanian Future Leaders in forming their steering committee, pledging FLAC's support for their growth.

After graduating from the University of Botswana in civil engineering, Modie worked as an on-site engineer's representative for a diamond mine in central Botswana for six years. She relocated to Namibia to broaden her tailings management expertise and joined Knight Piésold’s Windhoek office in 2023. Since then, Modie has been expanding her experience in tailings facility monitoring and compliance with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. She is currently working on engineer of record services and designs for mines in Namibia.

As a former chairperson of the Future Leaders Group of the Association of Consulting Engineers Botswana, Modie aimed to create a similar community for Namibian young professionals. With support from the president of the Young Professionals Forum of Consulting Engineers South Africa, she formed the Young Consulting Engineers of Namibia of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Namibia.

“Patrick and Kutlo show an exemplary example of African excellence for all of us at Knight Piésold, dedicating their time to industry organizations and spreading their passion to young and fellow professionals in the consulting engineering community,” said Dr. Vishal Haripersad, Managing Director of Knight Piésold Southern Africa. “We firmly believe in African excellence, which stems from the principle of ubuntu, and it means something unique to each of us. Rooted in solidarity, we shape a culture of collaboration, not only working together as a team but with the communities we live in as well.”