Thesis: “Governance of Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainibility in the European Union: A Case Study of Non-Financial Reporting Frameworks“

Aanu BAJELA is a Project Manager at a leading battery manufacturing company based in Belgium, where she oversees a portfolio of European Union Horizon projects spanning the full life cycle of batteries — from materials engineering to reuse, recycling, and recovery. With over eight years of experience in the renewable energy sector, her career reflects a commitment to bridging high-impact technical innovation with sustainable development policy.

Prior to her current role, she served as a Project Development Manager at a Nigerian energy company where she led the design and deployment of Solar PV mini-grid projects to serve over 5,000 rural and peri-urban connections. Under her leadership, the company secured multiple international grants, including the World Bank Performance-Based Grant for mini-grid expansion across Nigeria.

Her cross-continental work experience spans Nigeria, the Philippines, and Belgium, giving her a grounded perspective on both emerging and mature energy markets. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Governance and Development Policy, with a focus on EU energy policy. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of the IEEE.

Her professional philosophy is anchored in the belief that the energy transition is not a luxury but an existential necessity — one that requires a coordinated top-down and bottom-up approach. As both a technical expert and policy analyst, she advocates for energy leaders who are fluent in the operational realities of the sector and the policy mechanisms that shape its future.

In addition to her technical and policy work, she is the co-founder and administrative lead of Craddle STEAM Education Trust, a nonprofit that supplements public basic education for children from low-income households across Nigeria. Her belief is clear: as we work to build a sustainable world, we must also build the minds of the children who will inherit it — regardless of their socioeconomic background.