Jacques Bonjawo

Chairman & Chief Strategist
Genesis Technologies

Prior to joining Genesis Technologies as Chairman, Mr. Bonjawo as a Senior Program Manager at the Microsoft Corporation headquarters in Redmond, where he spent nearly 10 years managing a number of IT/Internet related projects on a team that was responsible for delivering a data warehouse and business intelligence (BI).

A proven leader and volunteer for many causes, while at Microsoft, Mr. Bonjawo was tasked by the World Bank and then President James Wolfensohn to help launch a major distance-learning education institution in Africa that would utilize satellite technology and the Internet to broadcast courses from all over the World to African students.

Mr. Bonjawo took on the challenge as a volunteer and the African Virtual University (AVU) was born. Mr. Bonjawo was subsequently elected Chairman of the Board of the AVU. The AVU is funded by the World Bank, the USAID, the CIDA and other major international donors. AVU has provided courses to over 50,000 students throughout Africa, of which 40% are women.

Mr. Bonjawo holds an MBA in Finance from the George Washington University, Washington, DC and an engineering degree in Computer Science from ESIP in Paris, France. He lives in Seattle with his wife Jamie and their two children. During his spare time, he enjoys flying and running.

A frequent invited speaker to international gatherings, Mr. Bonjawo has been a panelist or featured speaker in many forums in Africa, America, Asia and Europe. As an expert on ICT for development issues, Mr. Bonjawo has provided advice to African leaders and decision makers. He frequently makes appearances on television and radio stations, including People TV, BBC, RFI, BFM and Africa No 1. He's also been interviewed by the Associated Press (AP), the Agence France Presse (AFP) and Le Figaro daily newspaper, just to name a few. Mr. Bonjawo also seats on the board of directors of MusicWorks Northwest, a Seattle-based music conservatory, and has been a member of the National Press Club (Washington DC) since 1994.

Some Keynotes

• Speaker to World Economic Forum at Davos
• Speaker at Harvard University
• Chief Guest for Radio France International Prize distribution in Paris - 2 Times
  

Books By Jacques Bonjawo:

• Internet – The chance for Africa
• The Africa of XXI Century
• My Years at Microsoft