Mohamed Adow

Notable work and positions

Power Shift Africa — Founder and Director (2018– )
Al Jazeera, Climate Home News — Contributing columnist
Christian Aid — Former Global Climate Policy Lead

Biography

Mohamed Adow is founder and director of Power Shift Africa, a Nairobi-based climate and energy policy think tank he established in 2018 to mobilize climate action and amplify African voices in international climate negotiations. Born to a family of nomadic pastoralists in northern Kenya, he holds a B.A. in environmental studies from The Open University in the UK and an M.S. in global energy and climate change from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Before founding Power Shift Africa, he led Christian Aid's global climate policy and advocacy work for more than a decade, and helped create the Pan-Africa Climate Justice Alliance, a coalition of more than 1,000 organizations across 48 countries. He is a former board chair of Climate Action Network International and an advisor to the Climate Vulnerable Forum. He writes columns on climate policy for Al Jazeera and Climate Home News, and Power Shift Africa has organized training programs for African journalists covering climate change ahead of UN climate summits. He was named a 2020 Climate Breakthrough Awardee.