Kandeh Yumkella
Kandeh K. Yumkella | |
|---|---|
Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1959 Kychum, Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District, British Sierra Leone |
| Political party | National Grand Coalition (NGC) |
| Spouse | Philomena Yumkella |
| Residence(s) | Freetown, Sierra Leone New York City |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Agricultural economics |
| Religion | Islam |
| Ethnicity | Susu |
| Website | NGC |
Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (born July 5, 1959) is a Sierra Leonean agricultural economist, politician who served as a member of parliament and Chair of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security under President Julius Maada Bio's government. He is a public speaker, who addresses global issues, including poverty reduction, climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, and green industry and renewable energy. Dr. Yumkella's opinion pieces have appeared in major international newspapers, including The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on several international broadcast networks, including CNN's Amanpour programme, BBC, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNBC.
He is the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All. He was also the chief executive officer of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. Yumkella is a former chairman of UN-Energy and a two-term former Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Yumkella is a devout Muslim and a member of the Susu ethnic group. He was married to Philomena Yumkella who died on 26 June 2022.
Yumkella contested for the presidency of Sierra Leone in 2018 but garnered 6.9% of the vote.