Speaker Bio
Madam Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, Benin Minister of Digital
Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU is a confirmed professional in the digital sector for which she is now responsible in the Beninese government. At 39, she is now an important figure in the digital sector in Africa. A Telecoms & ICT Engineer, a graduate of Télécom Sud Paris, and holder of a Certificate in Public Policy Management and Leadership from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (New York), Aurelie began her professional career with the SFR company in Paris where she worked on aspects related to service quality. The young engineer then joined the famous consulting firm ACCENTURE as an Information Systems Consultant.
In 2009, back in Benin, she joined the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP-BENIN). In this position, she dealt with issues relating to radiocommunications and the management of radio frequencies; which enabled him to take an active and remarkable part in the preparatory work of Benin and Africa for the World Telecommunication Conference of 2015. It was during this conference that Africa obtained the largest amount frequencies than all other regions.
Noted for her leadership, skills and determination, the Global Mobile Industry Association (GSMA) calls on her to build its presence in Africa on regulatory and regulatory issues relating to the mobile sector. As the Principal Public Policy Officer for the Telecommunications sector in Africa, she handled aspects related to the GSMA's engagement with Governments, Regulators and regional organizations in the African region.
As a Mandela Washington Fellow (MWF YALI) since August 2017 she has been preparing a doctorate in Information and Communication Sciences on the theme "Analysis of policies for the expansion of telecommunication networks and services of ICT in rural areas in Africa” at the Montaigne Doctoral School – Humanities of Bordeaux Montaigne University in France, in order to deepen the question of the challenge of rural connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa and to materialize certain ideas and concepts envisaged.
In October 2017, the President of the Republic of Benin, His Excellency Patrice Talon appointed her as Minister in charge of the digital economy and communication with the ambition of making Benin the digital services platform of the 'West Africa. When she was appointed, she was 34 years old, the youngest minister ever appointed by President Patrice Talon since taking office on April 6, 2016. In this position, she is involved in the orchestration of stakeholders and institutional actors contributing to the digital transformation of Benin, the acceleration of the public policies essential for an effective implementation of the government's digital projects and the revelation of a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem in order to raise Benin to the rank of the leading digital countries in the region.
These bold actions earned her her appointment as President of the Francophone Network of Ministers of the Digital Economy (RFMEN), created in October 2018 in Yerevan. She was also appointed by the UN Secretary General as a Member of the Task Force on Digital Finance for the Achievement of the SDGs. Apart from her professional responsibilities, Aurelie has always had a strong involvement in community development, as well as in the implementation of actions undertaken with young people and women.