Fatima Mohamed Khalfallah

Sudanese engineer who built Africa's first solar-powered water desalination plant

Fatima Mohamed Khalfallah (1928-2001) pioneered renewable energy solutions in the Sahara region. As Sudan's first female mechanical engineer, she designed the 1963 Omdurman Solar Plant that provided clean water to 200,000 people. Her Thermal Evaporation System used parabolic mirrors to distill seawater, reducing energy costs by 70%. Learn more. She trained engineers across 12 African countries through her Khartoum-based Solar Institute, establishing the first pan-African solar energy network in 1975. Her 1968 invention of the 'Khalfallah Valve' improved solar panel efficiency, now used in NASA's Mars rovers. Despite her contributions, she refused international awards to focus on grassroots projects. Her memoir Light in the Desert remains required reading at Cairo University's engineering department.