Sebastian Keneally

Mr. Keneally works on the Sub-Saharan Africa team as a Power Africa Country Manager. He covers the energy and climate sectors in East, Central and Southern Africa with a focus on renewable generation, transmission and distribution, energy storage, critical minerals, green hydrogen and adaptation.

Prior to joining USTDA, Mr. Kenneally worked at the New Climate Economy project at the World Resources Institute. In this role, he supported projects exploring the social and economic benefits of climate action and green investment in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. He also worked on research projects related to clean energy and carbon pricing in Indonesia and the role of public development banks in climate finance. Mr. Keneally has also worked as a financial analyst in the private energy sector, the Political Risk Insurance division at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and as a research associate for Mitsubishi Corporation Americas focused on political risk.

Mr. Keneally holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Santa Clara University.

Elizabeth Rosa

Ms. Rosa is the Events Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Rosa served as the Special Events Coordinator at the U.S. Capitol. While there, she was instrumental in executing over 1000 Congressional events, including the 2021 Presidential Inauguration, the 117th Congress New Member Orientation, and several House and Senate Committee Hearings.

Before her work at the Capitol, Ms. Rosa was a senior project manager with a small business federal contractor, where she managed events, trainings and conferences for multiple agencies, including the Executive Office of the President. The events ranged in size from 25 to 5000 attendees and were held in different locations across the nation.

Ms. Rosa speaks Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences from Florida State University. She also holds certificates in Events Management from George Washington University and in Data Analytics from Harvard Business School.

Mohammed Essay

Mr. Essay is a Senior Business Development Specialist and Country representative for Southern Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this capacity, he is responsible for business development, project preparation and evaluation of USTDA activities in Southern Africa.

Prior to his appointment at USTDA, Mr. Essay was a Commercial Specialist and Consultant at the U.S. Commercial Service advising clients in the agribusiness, ICT, finance and environmental sectors for more than 10 years. He also served as the Regional Agribusiness Team Leader and country manager for Liberia, Guinea and The Gambia.

Mr. Essay holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Econometrics and International Trade and Development from the University of Johannesburg. Mr. Essay has vast government and private sector experience and is a trained economist by profession.

Matt Schwab

Mr. Schwab is the Country Manager for Southern Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. In this capacity, he is responsible for the business development, project preparation and evaluation, and supervision of the agency’s priority sectors of transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and energy in the region.

Prior to joining USTDA, Mr. Schwab served as a Director in KPMG’s Infrastructure and Climate Advisory practice, where he led projects across the renewable energy, telecommunications, and transportation spaces. He previously worked for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, The Scowcroft Group, renewable energy developers in Mexico and Brazil, and Partners Global, an international development NGO.

Mr. Schwab holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, along with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

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