Rachel Sibande (born January 9, 1986, in Lilongwe, Malawi) is a Malawian computer scientist and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder of mHub, a technology hub and incubator for innovators and emerging entrepreneurs.[1][2]
Rachel Chimwemwe Sibande | |
|---|---|
 in 2016 | |
| Born | January 9, 1986 |
She is a technology advocate, a recipient of a Google Anita Borg Scholarship.[3] In 2016, she was named one of Africa's 30 most promising entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by Forbes.[4]
Sibande has championed the development and deployment of innovative technology solutions in agriculture, public health, election monitoring, citizen engagement, disaster management and Digital Financial Services in 18 countries.[citation needed] She has over ten years of industry experience spanning academia, development and social enterprise domains.[5]
Early life and education
editAt age 15, she attended the University of Malawi's Chancellor College. She graduated with a bachelor's degree, majoring in computer science.[6]
Sibande attained a Master of Science in information theory, coding, and cryptography from Mzuzu University[6] in 2007 with a distinction.
She attained a PhD in computer science from Rhodes University in 2020 as a Google Scholar.
Career
editRachel Sibande serves as Senior Officer at the Gates Foundation. She previously served as Senior Director, Data for Development at the United Nations Foundation. Rachel pioneered initiatives to advance digital skills among children, girls, youth, and women. She has previously served as Director for USA-based non-profit entities ACDI/VOCA, Agribusiness Systems International, and Palladium Group on socio-economic growth projects in East Africa.
Honors and awards
edit- 2019: Recipient of 'Forbes Woman Africa Gen Y Award', at the Forbes Africa Woman Summit, South Africa
- 2019: New Wealth Creator, Forbes Woman Africa, South Africa
- 2018: Won Climate-Smart track innovate to invent award at the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering in Rwanda for creating a thermal chemical process that generates light for rural microgrids.
- 2016: Malawi's Ambassador to the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), Senegal
- 2015:Google Anita Borg Scholarship, London
- 2012:Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), Washington DC
Personal life
editSibande is married to Chrispine Sibande, a Malawian human rights lawyer.[7] They have three children.
References
edit- ^ Africa.com (4 November 2019). "African Women in Tech: Rachel Sibande - Africa.com". www.africa.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "When women are let in — we all win!". www.capetownetc.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Google Anita Borg Scholarship". www.ru.ac.za. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2016". Forbes. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ Mubarik, Abu (13 January 2021). "Meet 35-year-old Rachel Sibande, the techpreneur whose program has raised 29,000 tech-savvy Malawians". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Rachel Sibande, MSc". path.org. June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Rachel Sibande on launching first tech-hub in Malawi - Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi". www.nyasatimes.com. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2022.