Ing. Umar M. Lahai obtained his bachelor's degree in mechanical and maintenance engineering from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He subsequently earned a Master of Science in Renewable Energy and the Environment from Njala University, Sierra Leone, followed by a PhD in Sustainable Energy Engineering and Management from the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana. Currently, Ing. Dr. Lahai serves as a technical committee member and focal point for the Accreditation Advisory Sub-Committee of the Professional Engineers’ Regulatory Council (PERC) of Sierra Leone. In September 2024, he was hired as an energy expert by GOPA (Gesellschaft für Organisation, Planung und Ausbildung mbH), one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious energy consulting firms, to lead the critical project titled "Technical and Business Development Skills Training for Productive Users of Renewable Energy in Eastern Sierra Leone. Transformational Energy Use for Sierra Leone Phase 1 (TEUS-1): Productive Use of Renewable Energies (PUE), Technologies, and Digitization for Remote Green Growth in Sierra Leone. Project Number: 14.2275.7-338.00. In 2022, Ing. Dr. Lahai was appointed by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) of Sierra Leone to serve as an engineering and technology expert. He was responsible for developing the Benchmark Minimum Academic and Professional Standards (BMAPS), a task he completed in less than two years. Ing. Dr. Lahai's research interests encompass mass and convective heat transfer, combustion of solid fuels, energy conservation, modeling of biomass combustion systems for emission reduction, post-combustion carbon capture and CO_2 sequestration, biomass energy conversion techniques, energy policy and sustainability, energy economics, mechanical engineering, clean cooking, and climate change. Before his tenure at Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU), Ing. Lahai held the positions of senior teacher and director of foundation programs within the Faculty of Engineering at the Government Technical Institute (GTI), Freetown. From 2010 to 2012, he served as a part-time lecturer at the School of Technology, Njala University, teaching undergraduate courses in solar energy principles and biomass technology. During his time at MMTU, he headed the Mechanical Engineering Department for two terms and was elected Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, a role he maintained until 2019. Ing. Lahai has actively participated in various committees at MMTU, including the Campus Management Committee, Senior Management Committee, Academic Board Committee, Examinations Task Force Committee, and Curriculum Review Committee, where he spearheaded the review of all engineering curricula to ensure alignment with the overarching principles of engineering education for the university and the country. In 2021, he served as a National Consultant for the development of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum for the Skills Development Project (SDP), funded by the World Bank and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education through the National Council for Technical, Vocational, and Other Academic Awards (NCTVA) in Sierra Leone. Ing. Dr. Lahai holds a Fellow position with the esteemed Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE) and is certified by the Professional Engineers Regulatory Council of Sierra Leone (PERC).
