Dr the Honourable Arvin BOOLELL, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Evening

I am very pleased to introduce you to Prof. Romeela Mohee, the first female Professor in Engineering and the first female Dean of Faculty of Engineering in Mauritius. Dr. Mohee, an environmental engineer, is Professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Mauritius. Her research is focused on waste conversion processes, bio-energy and solid waste management, beneficial re-use of waste materials, heat and mass transfer modelling.
She has authored 7 international projects in the fields of solid waste management and renewable energies. She has worked on numerous consultancy projects:The National Compost Plan, the operation of Mare Chicose landfill, the Environmental Impact Assessment of the SSR International Airport, the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention. She is one of the drivers for the Maurice ILE Durable Project on Reengineering of the cane industry. She also worked on the development of a “Solid waste management plan for Seychelles” and is the initiator of “Regional Compost Network” in Africa, among others.
She has excellent worldwide reputation in the area of sustainable treatment of solid and hazardous wastes via composting and through her research on sound waste management practices, has developed low cost engineering solutions for the benefit of society. Her unique capacity of transferring high level research into simple applicable techniques is exceptional, and her community based projects have helped to improve the quality of life of people.
As a pioneer, Prof Mohee has attracted international research grants to develop a field that did not exist in Mauritius. She has an impressive record of books, book chapters, and publications in international scientific journals. The results of her scientific research have also paved the way for policies at national level in the field of environment protection. She advocates the use of natural fertilizers to improve access to food in African and she has trained many young scientists and supervised doctorate students.

Prof Roumilla Mohee has been awarded the following distinctions:
the Most Outstanding Young Person Award in 2005,
the Innovators Silver Award in 2006 from the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council.
• And more significantly, she was the winner of African Union Woman Scientist Award for Basic Science Technology and Innovation in 2009, for her unique capacity of transferring high level research into simple applicable techniques.
The authorities, by choosing Prof. Romeela to be research chair is guaranteeing a new lease of life to research and R and D form the backbone of progress.