Mariéme Jamme was born in Dakar, Senegal.[5][6] She taught herself to read and write in her teenage years.[4][7][8] She built her technology career when she moved to the United Kingdom, where she attended the University of Surrey to learn English.[6] While cleaning people's houses for a living, She also learned coding at a local library in Surrey.[9][10] She has had multiple temporary jobs and worked for companies such as Citibank, HSBC, JP Morgan, and Lloyds Bank.[6] She has also served in Business management positions at Oracle and Microsoft.[6] In 2013, she was appointed to Microsoft’s 4Afrika team, where she served in an advisory role to projects that aided African startup companies.[6]
Career
Jamme founded SpotOne Global Solutions (now called Accur8Global) in 2007 in the UK and is the CEO.[11] The company helps IT organizations establish in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. She is the co-founder of Africa Gathering, the first global platform for entrepreneurs and experts to network with regards to development across Africa.[12] Jamme was referred to as being "at the forefront of the technology revolution that is slowly transforming Africa" by CNN.[13] She has been involved in various African competitions for tech innovation including the annual "Apps4Africa" competition as an organiser and judge, showcasing innovation and app ideas across the continent of Africa,[14][15] and the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa prize for Innovation.[16]
In 2013, Jamme was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum[17] for her activism work in empowering and investing in young girls and women in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia through creative learning, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and design (STEAMD). In 2015, Jamme collaborated with a group of African leaders[18] to create "Accur8Africa",[19] an initiative to help governments, civil society, entrepreneurs, and businesses evaluate progress on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 using Accurate Data.[20]
iamtheCODE Foundation
2017 saw the launch of Jamme's "iamtheCODE" initiative, which became the first African-led initiative that collaborated with government, private sector, and investors to advance STEAMD education for girls from under-privileged areas in Africa, South America and the Middle East. The program's goal is to contribute in achieving the UN sustainability goals for education by reaching 1 million girls by 2030.[21][22] The foundation aims to inspire more girls worldwide to learn to code, with an emphasis on including marginalised communities by providing them with educational spaces, tools and employment guidance.[23]
World Wide Web Foundation board and awards
In 2017 Jamme became the first black woman on the World Wide Web Foundation Board.[24][25] That same year, she was recognised as one of five inspiring leaders at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards, which were hosted by U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and Melinda Gates, where she won the Innovation Award.[26]
Other activities
Microsoft, Member of the 4Afrika Advisory Council (since 2013)[27]
Recognition
Jamme was included in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Powerlist, a listing of the 100 most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent.[28]
