Background and Introduction to EPA

Office bearers of the 35th EPA Council, 2011/12

President: Mrs Sophia Tekie Pr. Eng.

Sophia has previously served on the EPA Council as Honorary Treasurer and President, and has in 2011 again been elected as President.

Past President: Dipl-Ing Ako Al-Jaf Pr. Eng.

Ako has over 23 years of professional experience in infrastructure planning, construction and maintenance in the roads, water and sewerage sector, in Germany, Algeria and Namibia, which he has chosen as his new home. He has been engaged in the Road Sector Reform Program in Namibia, and has taken a leading role in the successful implementation of the Roads Contractor Company. He is the project coordinator for the road sector capacity building programme of InWEnt in Namibia, and the Manager of the Roads Technical Training Unit of the Roads Authority since its establishment in 2007.

Vice-President: Mr Günter Leicher I. Eng.

Since 1994, Günter Leicher, who holds a B.Tech (Engineering) degree of the University of South Africa, has been involved in civil design and construction work site supervision, labour-based road works, the documentation of proposals and the drafting of plans as well as detailed surveying on projects throughout Namibia. Although he specialises in transportation and water projects, Günter has also worked on factories, industrial parks, shopping centres, warehouses, hotels, sports facilities and township development. In December 2008 he joined the international Knight Piésold Group as the regional manager of Namibia. Based in Windhoek, he is also responsible for a satellite office in Ondangwa.

Honorary Secretary: Mr Frederick Muketi Pr. Eng.

Frederick Muketi is a qualified Mechanical Engineer with 30 years' experience in the heavy industry (cement) in Kenya, UK, Germany, USA and Namibia, specializing in maintenance procedures, computerized maintenance management, business process reengineering, plant reliability, root cause failure analyses, and capital projects management. In 1980, he graduated with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nairobi, and at the same university obtained an MBA Degree in Operations Management in 2009. After nine years in private engineering consultancy practice, he joined the Ministry of Works and Transport, where he currently holds the position of Chief Engineer: Mechanical Services, charged with the capital projects management portfolio.

Honorary Treasurer: Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Helmich Pr. Eng.

Andreas Helmich is a qualified Civil Engineer and Project Manager with 12 years experience in road construction, contract administration, and project management. He obtained his Dipl.-Ing. (Civil) degree at the University of Hannover, Germany, in 1997, and also holds an MSc (Project Management) degree from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Andreas started his career as Contract Manager at a construction company in Germany, and became Project Engineer for the Roads Authority in 1999, where he implemented numerous projects throughout the entire country. In January 2008, he started his own consulting company, HPM, based in Windhoek, with its main field of  expertise in the design and construction of roads, as well as project management.

Electrical Engineering Discipline: Mr Fritz C Jacobs Pr. Eng.

Mr Fritz Jacobs is a Registered Professional Engineer, Chartered Secretary/Business Administrator and fellow/member of various professional bodies and societies. He holds an MSc Eng (Elec) and BSc Eng (Elec) from the University of Cape Town and an FCIS in Business Administration, Accounting and Financial Management from ICSA. He is the Chief Executive of Jacobs Engineering Consulting cc, and Director of various other businesses. Mr Jacobs served on various boards and committees, amongst others, Management, Audit, HR, Retirement Funds and Finance, which covered various sectors, namely: Academic, Consulting, Transportation, Telecommunications, Power, Mining and Properties.

Mechanical Engineering Discipline: Mr Volker Fischer-Buder Pr. Eng.

Volker Fischer-Buder is a qualified mechanical engineer who graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BSc Eng (Mech) degree in 1984. He has more than 25 years' work experience as a professional engineer in the design, supervision, administration and project management of mechanical and electrical infrastructure and building projects throughout Namibia.  He has his own consulting engineering practise located in the capital city, Windhoek.

EPA Administrator: Ms Tanja Bednarek

Tanja has several diplomas in business and financial management, sales and marketing management and real estate and has worked in the corporate sector since returning from a 3 year stint in Germany in 1996.  She has extensive knowledge in the financial and marketing field and runs the office of the Namibia Institute of Architects in the mornings.  Since 1 July 2010 she has taken over the EPA offices in the afternoons from her home office and on a consulting basis she runs the office of the Guild of Woodwork and Allied Trades in Namibia.