This year’s rising star is Tanzania’s own Neema Msemwa. A registered professional engineer, Neema has made her mark in standardization since graduating from the University of Dar es Salaam. Using her exceptional skills to support national endeavours, she currently serves as a Standards Officer and Secretary of the technical committee on renewable energy at the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. 

Neema will be honoured during the ISO Annual Meeting in Brisbane, Australia, taking place on 18-22 September 2023

Recognizing her passion and energy, the NextGen Award will give Neema international visibility, helping to raise her profile within the standards community. She will begin her secondment to ISO’s Geneva HQ in early 2024 under the guidance of a dedicated mentor.

The very best of young international talent from across the world is celebrated through the Next Generation Award. They taking their first steps on the career ladder to the future leaders in standardization.

The commitment of future leader is to renewable energy advocacy has contributed to the development of renewable energy standards. Through her enduring efforts, she has made clean energy more accessible across Tanzania, making a lasting impact on the country’s sustainability agenda. Her dedication extends to participating in the development of the Tanzania Energy Efficiency Action Plan (2020) and reviewing related policies to drive Tanzania’s sustainable energy agenda. She also plays a vital role in youth empowerment by mentoring graduate women engineers.

Neema said “I’m both excited and deeply honoured to accept the ISO Next Generation Award for 2023,” . “Opportunities like this are so important to support young innovators in growing their careers, making a difference in their industries and contributing their unique views as tomorrow’s future leaders.”

She is looking forward to the next year with ISO and working to build a more sustainable future for Tanzania and the world, Neema said

About the ISO NextGen Award 

The ISO Next Generation Award was created to celebrate and encourage the development of promising young professionals who promote sustainable development through their enthusiasm, creativity and contribution to the standardization industry.

This is one of the hot topics that will be discussed at the upcoming ISO Annual Meeting. Neema Msemwa will be speaking at the session on “Clash of the generations: A dialogue for innovation and change”.

Pham Bang Tam