MATTHEW OWEN
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES CONSULTANT
owenmg@mac.com
A Geographer by training, Matthew Owen is a development professional with 19 years’ experience in Africa
and Asia, most of these as a resident of Kenya. He has diverse specialisations that include biomass fuels and
alternative energy, environmental conservation and natural resource governance, and the delivery of safe
water and sanitation. The common theme running through his work is the inter-dependence of sustainable
human development and the sound management of natural resources.
Matthew has worked in more than 20 countries on the design and evaluation of development projects and the
formulation of sectoral strategies and policies, in addition to impact studies, organisational reviews, technical
training and document editing.
He is a partner in two Kenyan companies, one marketing fuel-efficient institutional woodstoves and methanol
gel fuel, the other producing charcoal briquettes.
He currently lives in the UK with his wife and two children.
Education
1992: MA Geography, University of North Carolina, USA
1987: BSc Geography, Durham University, UK
Country experience
Africa: Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South
Africa, Sudan, Tanzania/Zanzibar, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Asia: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand.
Languages
English (mother tongue), Kiswahili (good), French (fair).
Energy entrepreneur
Penroche Development Services Ltd., Kenya (www.pds-energy.com): Owner of a company marketing fuelefficient wood-stoves to schools, hospitals and other mass catering institutions. Also Kenya’s leading seller of
methanol gel as chafing dish fuel to hotels and restaurants.
Chardust Ltd., Kenya (www.chardust.com): Partner in a Nairobi company manufacturing fuel briquettes from
charcoal waste:
 employ 80 people and sell 200 tonnes of briquettes per month
 2010: Contracted by African Conservation Fund to set up a similar plant in Goma, DR Congo
 2009: Contracted by Government of Rwanda to research briquette production from carbonised peat
and papyrus
 2009: Contracted by FAO to establish commercial value chains for charcoal and animal feed from
invasive Prosopis juliflora in Kenya’s Tana River District
 2005: World Bank Development Marketplace award for establishing a raw material supply chain in
Nairobi’s Kibera slum
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Selected consultancy experience, 1992-present
Biomass fuels and alternative energy
2011
CARE International, Zanzibar: Development of woodfuel management proposals for tackling the
energy drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in a pilot REDD project.
Swiss Cooperation Office, Tanzania: Design of a climate change mitigation project comprising
sustainable charcoal from village-managed forests, a charcoal briquetting factory and a national probiomass advocacy strategy. Through LTS Africa.
World Bank, Malawi: Design of biomass energy components within an integrated watershed
management programme in the Shire River Basin, aimed at reducing siltation of the river and its
hydro-power installations.
2010
Acumen Fund, Tanzania: Technical due diligence of the East Africa Briquettes Company in Tanga,
prior to equity investment by a social capital fund.
GTZ/European Union Energy Initiative, Tanzania: Scoping study and sector needs analysis, leading
to the development of a national biomass energy strategy for Tanzania. Through Acacia Natural
Resource Consultants, UK.
2009
GTZ Energising Africa programme (multi-country): Regional lessons learning assignment to extract
experiences from the development of national biomass energy strategies in Malawi, Botswana,
Rwanda and Lesotho.
GTZ Programme for Basic Energy Conservation, Botswana: External mediator in the re-drafting of
Botswana’s national biomass energy strategy, for the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water
Resources.
2008
GTZ/European Union Energy Initiative, Malawi: Team leader for the multi-agency development of a
national biomass energy strategy for Malawi. Through MARGE, France.
2007
USAID, Uganda: Evaluation of USAID’s experiences with fuel-efficient stoves in camps for internally
displaced people, leading to new policy guidelines for USAID implementing agencies. Through
Academy for Educational Development, USA.
Shell Foundation Breathing Space programme, E. Africa: Team Leader for a market research and
planning process for a clean indoor air initiative based on cook-stove commercialisation in Ethiopia,
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Through Enterprise Works/VITA, USA.
2006
GTZ/Shell Foundation, Ethiopia: Evaluation of a programme marketing fuel-efficient injera stoves in
Tigray Regional State.
2003
Burmese Border Consortium, Thailand: Technical and financial audit of a large-scale programme
supplying briquetted fuel to Burmese refugees.
2002
CARE International, Tanzania: Development of an alternative energy strategy for Zanzibar, for the
Forest Department and the Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Project.
1994-95 Intermediate Technology Development Group, East Africa: Roving consultant to a regional energy
programme, improving the quality of domestic energy projects across East Africa through training,
exchange and direct technical support.
Environmental conservation and natural resource governance
2010
United Nations Environment Programme, Southern Sudan: Analysis of environmental integration in
humanitarian programming, leading to guidelines for humanitarian actors to improve environmental
mainstreaming. Through ProAct Network, Switzerland.
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Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya: Environmental specialist in a team studying multi-sectoral
impacts of the Dadaab refugee camps on the host area and local communities in north-eastern
Kenya. Through NORDECO, Denmark.
2005-09 International Fund for Agricultural Development, southern Africa: External facilitator of five annual
Strategic Reviews of PhytoTrade Africa, a trade association developing ethical markets and supply
chains for wild-harvested natural products from eight countries in southern Africa.
2008
Charity Projects/Comic Relief, Kenya: Evaluation of a resource management and environmental
governance project with pastoralist communities in Samburu District. Through Resource Projects,
UK.
Dutch Inter-church Organisation for Development & Cooperation, Ethiopia: External evaluation of
Forum for Environment, an NGO engaged in advocacy, education and awareness-raising for
protection of the Ethiopian environment. Through ProFound, Netherlands.
2006
CARE International, Tanzania: EU proposal-writing assignment for a civil society strengthening
project comprising participatory forest management and village savings & credit in Morogoro Region.
2005
Frankfurt Zoological Society, Tanzania: Identification of conservation-compatible enterprise
opportunities around Mahale Mountains National Park, Lake Tanganyika.
19962005
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): 20 environment-related assignments in 14 refugeehosting countries including:
 Afghanistan, Chad, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand: Design of energy conservation and
environment management interventions for refugee and returnee areas.
 Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda: Evaluations of energy and
environment programmes for refugees and returnees, including energy saving technologies, fuel
supply, forestry and environmental education.
 India, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand: Lead facilitator of 11
environmental training workshops for staff of UNHCR and humanitarian partner agencies.
 Geneva: Author of UNHCR publications: “Refugee Operations & Environmental Management”,
“Domestic Energy Guidelines” and “Cooking Options for Refugees”.
2003
CARE International, Uganda: Socio-economic assessment of the Plan Vivo carbon offset
mechanism, determining costs and benefits for farmers and proposing a role for CARE in carbon
trade.
2000
CARE International, Uganda: Study of resource extraction from Queen Elizabeth National Park,
determining nature and value for management planning. Separate economic viability assessment of
on-farm woodlots for fuel and pole production in Park-adjacent communities.
1999
GTZ, Kenya: Environmental planning mission to Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps to design
forestry and energy conservation programmes.
1997
European Union, Tanzania: Project identification mission to refugee-affected areas of Kigoma
Region, to develop an EU-funded environmental rehabilitation programme.
CARE International, Tanzania: Evaluation of conservation and development programmes with
Rwandan refugees and host communities in Kagera Region.
1995
European Union, Bangladesh: Project identification mission for a forest management and wood
energy conservation programme in Cox’s Bazaar District. Through Rambøll, Denmark.
1992
Finnida, Zanzibar: Study of the market for wood products in Zanzibar town and the economic viability
of smallholder agro-forestry systems to meet commercial demand.
World Conservation Union (IUCN), Tanzania: Study of forest product utilisation around the East
Usambara mountains, for planning of community-based conservation programmes.
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Water, sanitation and hygiene
2011
USAID, Tanzania: Mid-term evaluation of the iWASH programme, a consortium of Florida
International University, Winrock International, CARE International, WaterAid and the World Wildlife
Fund in the Wami-Ruvu River Basin. Through Florida International University, USA.
WaterAid, Ethiopia. Organisational review to ensure alignment of the country programme with
WaterAid’s global and national strategies for delivering water, sanitation and hygiene services,
alongside policy advocacy interventions.
CARE International, Tanzania: Proposal writer for Phase II of the Global Water Initiative, a
partnership of CARE, IUCN and Catholic Relief Services funded by the Warren G. Buffett
Foundation.
2010
USAID, Tanzania: Learning review of the multi-agency Water and Development Alliance in the
Wami-Ruvu River Basin, extracting lessons from sanitation and hygiene interventions for an
expanded follow-on phase. Through Florida International University, USA.
2009
WaterAid, Ethiopia: Team Leader for a country programme evaluation, covering four years of water
supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion interventions in six regions alongside national sector
monitoring and advocacy work.
2008
WaterAid, Kenya: Scoping study for the establishment of a new WaterAid country programme in
Kenya, investigating needs in the wat-san sector and potential entry points.
WaterAid, Tanzania: Review of Policy-Advocacy programme, focussing on linkages between policy
work and WaSH service delivery through a case study approach.
2006
WaterAid, Tanzania: Evaluation of Dar es Salaam urban programme, supporting water supply,
sanitation and hygiene improvements for low-income city residents.
Concern Worldwide, Tanzania: External evaluation of the Mbuo community-managed water system
in Mtwara Region.
2005
WaterAid Tanzania: Feasibility studies for water, sanitation and hygiene programmes in Singida and
Manyara Regions, both subsequently launched.
2004
WaterAid Tanzania: Evaluations of integrated water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion
programmes in Tabora and Manyara Regions.
Pre-consultancy experience
1992-93 Regional Projects Officer, Bellerive Foundation, Kenya: Manager of institutional catering and
environmental education programmes across East Africa for a Swiss NGO. Manufactured fuel-saving
woodstoves, trained caterers in efficient kitchen management and established woodlots for fuel selfsufficiency. Still running the stove business as a private concern.
1990-92 Postgraduate Student, USA: Master’s student and GIS Research Assistant at University of North
Carolina. Winner of a departmental scholarship for thesis research on Adaptation to Fuelwood
Scarcity in Embu District, Kenya, contesting the “fuelwood gap” theory upon which rural energy
projects were previously based.
1987-89 Expedition Leader, Operation Raleigh, USA/UK/Australia: Management of community, environment
and adventure projects for an international youth development organisation, culminating in
leadership of an 80-strong expedition to Alaska. Awarded the Bish Medal from the Scientific
Exploration Society for “achievement of purpose in the face of adversity” and nominated a Fellow of
the Royal Geographical Society for contributions to exploration and youth development.
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