Women Champions in the Energy Sector

Her father, a shopkeeper, emphasized the importance of education, advising Elise that "school is a way to change your life when you are poor." Elise took her father's advice seriously, excelling in her studies and becoming the first girl to be accepted into InterAfrican Electrical Engineering College (E.S.I.E.) for Electrical Mechanical Engineering. Despite facing bullying and harassment from her male peers, Elise persevered, drawing strength from her father's words and the support of her teachers. After completing her degree, Elise worked at Togo Electricity Utility (C.E.E.T.), where she developed her customer relations and project management skills. She later pursued a new path in Information Management Technology, which led her to the United States in 2000. However, Elise soon realized that she missed working in the electricity sector and decided to return to her passion. She obtained the United States Professional Engineering Certification and joined the African Development Bank in 2010. At the bank, Elise worked on multiple regions and countries, leading countries' dialogue and overseeing regional interconnector projects. In 2017, she joined the World Bank, where she focused on regional and multiple countries projects, and coached women in the energy and development field to help them succeed in their careers. Elise's goal is to provide women with an example of success as engineers, showing them that they can overcome adversity and achieve their goals. She is actively mentoring two women and has encouraged management to hire young graduates to gain experience in the development, engineering, and energy sector. Elise's networking skills have been recognized as an asset, and she advises others to take the time to network and get to know people in the industry. Elise is committed to helping Africa achieve universal electricity access, recognizing that energy is the foundation of all development. She continues to give her best each day to change people's lives, and one of her greatest moments was providing electricity to a small village, which had a profound impact on her. Besides mentoring other women, Elise also helps her family, using her scholarships to send her siblings to school and being close to her nieces and nephew. Her family has been her strength throughout her career, and she sees herself in others, wanting to be there for them and fight for those who don't have someone fighting for them.