Founding Board Member

Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais is an entrepreneur and innovation specialist with a deep interest in African socio-economic development. In 2003, Mr. Bastos de Morais founded Quantum Global Group, an international group of companies focused on African development, particularly in the fields of corporate finance advisory, asset and private wealth management, real estate and investment consulting.

As Founder and Group CEO, he provides instrumental guidance on financial markets, especially across Africa and other emerging markets. In 2014, he established Quantum Global Research Lab, which aims to provide bottom-up econometric models for inclusive development in Africa.

In 2008, Mr. Bastos de Morais founded Banco Kwanza Invest, Angola’s first investment bank. As a Member of the Board, he advises on the bank’s strategic direction. At the core of his innovation-related work is the African Innovation Foundation (AIF), an organization he founded in 2009 to drive African-led development through fostering innovation. The AIF implements the annual Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), which was launched in 2011 in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). In 2012, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) passed a resolution to promote an innovation-based society in Africa.

In 2017, Mr. Bastos de Morais was elected as International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is the hub of Harvard Kennedy School's research, teaching, and training in international security and diplomacy, environmental and resource issues, and science and technology policy. In 2015, the Belfer Center was ranked the world's #1 University Affiliated Think Tank by University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. Mr. Bastos de Morais is on the advisory board of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) and the University Of Cape Town Graduate School Of Business. He is a member of the international Board of Foundation for Globethics.net, a leading global network that advocates ethical corporate and social practices.

Beyond his work, Mr. Bastos de Morais also has wide-ranging interests that span literature, music, art, science and community service. He is one of the co-Founders of the Club of Patrons of the Primavera Locarnese Festival and in 2013, introduced the Youtopia Festival with the aim of inspiring young people to reconnect with literature. He is co-Founder of Rundum, an events company with entertainment-led brands such as Miro China and China Drifting, aimed at introducing China’s progressive artistes to international audiences.

In October 2011, he founded the Kitangana Tennis Project for orphans in Angola. He supports epigenetics field research through sponsorship of a research project at the Centre of Neuroscience ZNZ, a joint competence center of the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH. He is a Board Member of the World.Minds Foundation and a member of Club zum Rennweg und roundtable in Zurich.

He is the co-editor of the book Innovation Ethics. African and Global Perspectives, co-published by Globethics.net and the AIF. His second book, The Convergence of Nations: Why Africa’s Time Is Now was published by OMFIF Press in collaboration with a team of 31 authors from 15 nations. He began his career as a management consultant and holds a Master of Arts in Management from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

www.jeanclaudebastosdemorais.com

Managing Director

Elodie de Warlincourt is the Managing Director of the African Innovation Foundation, responsible for overall management of the Foundation, with a key emphasis on social impact programming. She focuses on market-based approaches for poverty reduction, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.

Elodie has 14 years’ experience in private sector development and project management in international development programs and humanitarian aid. Prior to joining AIF, she worked for the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, managing a portfolio of programs that supported SME finance and entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Earlier in her career, Elodie focused on development strategies, donor policies and coordination with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, as well as accompanying the OECD peer review of Swiss cooperation. She represented the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kosovo and Eritrea, and has worked for the Inter-parliamentary Union in Geneva and Moscow, as well as at UNCTAD in Geneva.

Elodie has an MSc in Philosophy and in Development Management. The values of her work, the potential to transform her environment, identify new opportunities and innovate, as well as achieving tangible performance-related results are her main motivation.

Elodie is married and has two wonderful daughters. She lives with her family close to Zürich.

IPA Program Officer

Laura Yuego is the IPA Program Officer. She joined AIF in 2013 and provides operational support to the program with a focus on francophone African innovation ecosystem. Her skills include project management, websites and platforms administration, translations and event organization.

Laura worked several years in Higher education as a Research Assistant at the Faculty of Law in the University of Yaoundé 2 (Cameroon). Laura has over seven years’ experience working in the nonprofit sector in Africa and Switzerland. Prior to joining AIF, Laura worked in project management for Swiss NGOs specialized in humanitarian emergency aid and development aid.

She holds a Master’s degree in African Business Law from the University of Yaounde 2 (Cameroon) and a Master’s degree in Management of projects in Africa from the University of Paris 11 (France).

Chairman of the Foundation Board

Ambassador Walter Fust is Chairman of the Board for the African Innovation Foundation, providing strategic guidance to the Foundation’s mandate. After studying Public Administration at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, he commenced his diplomatic career, serving Swiss embassies in Baghdad and Tokyo.

He subsequently assumed various functions in the Federal Administration and in the private sector, including the role of Personal Assistant to Federal Councilor Dr. Kurt Furgler, Minister of Economy and President of the Swiss Confederation. W. Fust then became Managing Director of the Swiss Trade Promotion Office (OSEC) and Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. He headed the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for 15 years.

Since his retirement, Amb. Fust holds mandates in the Broadband Commission for Digital Development (ITU/UNESCO) and the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA). He chairs the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Bonn) and serves on the boards of the Coalition for Dialog on Africa/CoDA, the Library of Alexandria, CATIE, the American University for tropical agriculture and forestry in Costa Rica, and different national Foundations.

Amb. Fust is a well-known and a widely-connected personality in international development, with particular knowledge and expertise in trade, development and humanitarian affairs.

IPA Process Manager

Robinson Esialimba joined the African Innovation Foundation in September 2013 as Process Manager, responsible for operational running of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) and related activities.

Prior to joining AIF, Robinson founded and was managing an online platform that provided African technology startups with business strategy consulting and connections to viable sources of financing.

Robinson comes with a wealth of management experience of over 10 years, having worked in senior management positions in international organizations and UN agencies in Africa and Europe. He was a Senior Technical Officer with the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, advising on patent licensing for vaccine and pharmaceutical companies in Africa.

Robinson holds a law degree from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and a Masters in Law from the University of Lund in Sweden, specializing in intellectual property law and innovation. In addition to intellectual property law, he has interests in private equity financing, international trade law and project management.

Director

Sophie is the Director of the African Law Library, a core program of the African Innovation Foundation that advocates for open and free access to African legal resources.

Sophie joined the Foundation in June 2014, and speaks French, English and Spanish. She holds a Masters in Political Science as well as an MBA degree, and is a member of the advisory board for Africa Business and Legal Expertise (ABLE) an international network of lawyers who specialise in African business law.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Sophie was Senior Manager for the Africa region at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva. In this role, she was responsible for key relationships and strategic initiatives with African governments and business leaders.

Sophie also worked in the Geneva's audit department of Ernst & Young (EY) one of the "Big Four" global audit firms, as well as the tax division of Lenz & Staehelin, Switzerland's largest business law firm.

She started her career as Public Relations Manager for Summit Motors in Cameroon. Sophie is passionate about contributing to - and realising - Africa's growth story.

Member of the Foundation Board

Bethlehem founded SoleRebels, the fastest growing African footwear brand and the 1st global footwear brand to emerge from a developing nation. In doing so, she has created jobs and prosperity, empowering her community and country while presenting a galvanized dynamic face of African creativity to the global market.

She was the first female African entrepreneur to address the Clinton Global Initiative as a speaker and panelist (September, 2010) and was named one of the World Economic Forum’s 2011 Young Global Leaders. That same year, Bethlehem was selected as 2011’s Outstanding African Business Woman by the African Business Awards.

Most recently, FORBES magazine published their 2012 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list and named Bethlehem as Woman to Watch! This followed featuring her AS “Africa’s Most Successful Women” AND one of its 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa in 2011.

A trailblazer in every respect, Bethlehem has shifted the discourse on African development from one of poverty alleviation orchestrated by external actors, to one about prosperity creation driven by local Africans maximizing their talents and resources.

Director

Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl joined AIF in July 2011 as the IPA Program Director; she is also responsible for managing the innovation and technology programs of the Foundation. She works towards cultivating market-orientated solutions for African-led development across the continent, building innovation ecosystems that will invigorate economic growth across Africa.

Pauline has more than 15 years’ international development experience with organizations such as UNICEF and GTZ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ENDA Tiers Monde in Senegal, the Jewish Family and Children’s Service, and TANGO International in USA.

Prior to joining AIF, she worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement Foundation (RCSAF) in USA. Pauline currently serves as a board member of the Flame Tree Initiative, a US-based NGO that uses ICTs to address the digital divide through collaboration with African universities. She is also a Bellagio/PopTech Catalyst under a joint initiative between the Rockefeller Foundation and PopTech, working with a global community of innovators and thought leaders for positive social change.

Pauline has a BA Honors degree in international studies from the University of Arizona with a core focus on development in sub-Saharan Africa. She also has a Master’s degree in Poverty and Development from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Sussex University, UK where she attended as a Fulbright Scholar. Pauline also served as a Fulbright Fellow at UNESCO Paris, focussing on freedom of expression, democracy and peace. More recently, in April 2016, she received a certificate for completing the Harvard Kennedy School's Executive Education program on Innovation for Economic Development.

Pauline received the Social Responsibility Alumna Award from the University of Arizona Honors College for her ongoing commitment in promoting social responsibility.

Pauline has a passion for people and their development, and dedicates her efforts towards the economic and social empowerment of Africans.

AIF Board Member

Omar Balafrej has been a Board member of the African Innovation Foundation since 2014, providing strategic advice and technical support to strengthen the innovation landscape in Africa. Previously, Omar was CEO of MITC, a Moroccan public private partnership that manages Technopark.

Omar was also President of MITC Capital, an entity that manages the Maroc Numeric Fund (MAD 100 million venture capital fund) mnf.ma and board member of the CMI, Moroccan center for innovation cmi.net.ma

More recently, Omar was elected a representative of Rabat Ocean city council. He has also been president of the Abderrahim Bouabid Foundation (fab.ma) from 2009 to 2012 and is a Board member of The Cinémathèque de Tanger (www.cinemathequedetanger.com).

Board Member

Rowena Bethel has joined the AIF as a Board member. Rowena is a Bahamian national and an attorney-at-law. She was Director/CEO of the National Insurance Board, the social insurance fund of The Bahamas and has served for 31+ years in The Bahamas’ government service. Rowena is Vice Chair of both the UN Committee of Experts in Public Administration (CEPA) and the ISSA Technical Commission on Employment Policies. She has also worked as an independent global regulatory consultant on public governance, international tax policy and ICT law and policy.

Rowena is a Member of the UN Committee of Experts in Public Administration (CEPA). She also participates in the work on the UN eGovernment Survey and annual eGovernment awards forum. She was previously a member of UN Strategy Council for GAID; the UN Committee of Experts on Tax Cooperation; The Bahamas’ representative on the OECD Global Tax Forum; Vice Chair of the ISSA Technical Commission on Employment Policies and Unemployment Insurance; Chair of CARICOM Heads of Social Security; and lead negotiator for CARIFORUM for the EU EPA.

She is Deputy Chair of the Cellular Liberalization Task Force and a member of the National Health Insurance Task Force. She previously served as Deputy Chair of The Bahamas Telecommunications Company.

Rowena holds an LL.B (Leicester University); an LL.M in IT and Telecommunications Law and Policy (Strathclyde University) and a Diploma in Offshore eCommerce Law from IBLS. Rowena is a member of the Bar of England and Wales, and of The Bahamas Bar.

Administrative Assistant

Sandra Teixeira is the Administrative Assistant for the African Innovation Foundation. She is responsible for the office management support tasks. In addition to her duties as Administrative Assistant, she also undertakes translations in English, German and Portuguese.

In 2007, she concluded her degree in English/German, after five years of higher education at the University in Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, in Vila Real, Portugal. After her degree, she worked as an English teacher at Mirandela secondary school in Portugal. Between 2008 and 2011, she worked as a Portuguese teacher on Portuguese Teaching Abroad (EPE) in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

In 2012, she joined AIF as a Portuguese teacher. When she is not working at the Foundation, Sandra teaches Portuguese at various language schools in Switzerland.

Sandra has also written articles focusing on education for the magazine “Lusitano” in Zurich. In 2013, her first book of poems entitled “Cantos do (A) Mar” was published, in partnership with Miguel Passarinho, a Portuguese writer.

Sandra currently lives close to Zurich in Switzerland.

Head of Finance and Accounting

Gerald Marzano joined the African Innovation Foundation in November 2015 as Head of Finance and Accounting, and supports the Foundation’s business plan, providing program support.

Gerald is a United States and Swiss citizen, and holds degrees in International Management, Finance and Accounting. He has 12 years’ non-profit sector experience, having worked for Medair, Oak Foundation, Green Cross and World Vision International in various programmatic and financial roles. His latest engagement with World Vision International was as a core team member for a technology project called Last Mile Mobile Solutions (LMMS) digitizing manual paper processes used by NGOs to register, manage and report on beneficiary activity. LMMS has been deployed with 13 humanitarian agencies in over 23 countries, and was a Computer World top five award finalist for the social sector technology.

Gerald is married to Irene, and they have 3 children - Emma-Maria, Raphael and Donatello.

Program Assistant for Knowledge and Documentation

Miguel Watangua leads SIPA’s knowledge management and development research area. Between 2011-2014 he was the focal point for international organizations on issues of fair trade and consumer protection policies at Angola’s Ministry of Trade, liaising with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Southern African Development Community, World Trade Organization and United Nations Development Program. He holds an MSc in global political economy from City University of London, U.K., and a BSc in International Studies from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

His goals: I am always striving for greater personal and professional growth and trying to contribute towards positive societal change and development.

Office Manager, African Law Library

Eloïse Ouedraogo joined the African Innovation Foundation in February 2015 as Office Manager for its Geneva-based African Law Library program. She is delighted to share her strong IT and organizational skills in her new position at the Foundation.

Eloise has more than 10 years’ experience in the private sector, having worked with firms in the communication, financial and legal areas. Prior to joining AIF, she was team coordinator in a law firm that specialized in Intellectual Property. Her main role included dispatching and organizing workflows, managing information exchange and office systems, and providing support to legal and paralegal team members.

Eloise is a French national. In addition to French, she speaks English, Italian, German and Norwegian. She has studied Languages and International Commerce.

Eloise has been living in Geneva for several years. She enjoys playing the cello in orchestra and participating in music chamber groups

Acting Head for Angola

Oliveira Paulo has 20 years of experience working in both humanitarian and development programs with Concern World Wide, Advance Africa, Joint Aid Management and other organizations. In the last decade, as Economic Development Officer with World Vision, he managed microfinance and business development projects. Oliveira has a BSc in Businesses Management and is at the final stages of his MSc in Quality and Innovation. His areas of expertise include business and project management, mentoring, quality, innovation and entrepreneurship. What makes him tick? Finding creative ways to boost young people’s entrepreneurship, innovation and competiveness.

Administrative Assistant

Elvira Ferreira joined the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) in 2016 as Administrative Assistant for the Social Impact Program for Angola (SIPA). Her key responsibility is to provide high-level administrative support to the Country Director and the Angola office. Elvira has more than 30 years’ experience working in the Executive Secretariat and Administration field in Angola, Portugal and Brazil. She is a team player who has worked for organizations such as Schlumberger and SNV in Angola.

Prior to joining AIF, Elvira served as a Board Member for a successful company in Fortaleza, Brazil, responsible for supervising the company’s support staff. Elvira recognizes that development is of great importance for Angola’s future; she is looking forward to helping AIF bring out the best in its projects.