Bunmi Banjo

Bunmi Banjo
Born Olúbùnmi Bánjọ
Nationality Canadian, Nigerian
Alma mater Kellogg School of Management, University of Toronto
Occupation Business executive, writer
Employer Google

Bunmi Banjo is a business leader, as well as a marketing and strategy professional, with a career spanning several industries. These include social services, oil and gas, financial services and technology.[1] Bunmi is currently responsible for Google's Brand and Reputation in Africa. She leads the company's effort to provide digital skills to millions of youth across the continent.[2][3]

Early life and education

Bunmi was born in Canada to Nigerian parents from Ijebu, Ogun State, Nigeria, and is the eldest of three children. She attended the Federal Government Academy, Suleja where she was a member of the inaugural class of Nigeria's secondary school program for gifted and talented pupils.

Bunmi attained a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2000 from The University of Toronto and an MBA in 2007 from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Work experience

Bunmi's early career work included stints at Chevron Corporation, Discover Financial Services, and TD Canada Trust.

In 2012, she joined Google where she currently leads the company's effort to train millions of people through Google's Digital Skills for Africa programme.[4][5][6]

Bunmi has also been widely quoted by the media including CNN,[7] Al Jazeera network, CNBC Africa, Financial Times, This Day, The Punch, and The Guardian (Nigeria) newspapers.[8]

Bunmi is listed as one of the co-founders and CMO of an entertainment booking platform called Fezah.[9]

Google's Digital Outreach in Africa

At a press conference in Johannesburg in April 2016, Google announced plans to train 1 million Africans in digital skills within one year.[10][11] Through a partnership with Livity Africa's "Digify Africa" programme, plans were put in place around the continent to identify relevant populations for training and support, delivering "practical learning experiences that lead directly to in-demand jobs in the digital economy, or help launch small enterprises."[12]

Bunmi is the head of the program across the continent, and had this to say about the experience: "People across Africa are thirsty to explore how to take better advantage of the internet and the opportunities it offers."[13]

In March 2017, Google met its goal[14] and committed to training one million more.[15] For this Google intends to "add countries and regions to Digital Skills for Africa" and include "more offline versions of online training materials for low net access areas". The program will also be offered in "new languages, such as Swahili, IsiZulu, and Hausa."[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bunmi Banjo | Les débats du Monde Afrique". Les débats du Monde Afrique (in French). Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  2. ↑ Banjo, Bunmi (September 14, 2016). "Charting a digital future for Nigerian youth". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ "How Google is helping young entrepreneurs in Nigeria expand their businesses by putting them online; watch this video". CPAfrica. August 29, 2012. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  4. ↑ NAN (November 7, 2016). "Google prepares African youths for future online jobs". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ Al Jazeera English (August 27, 2012), Google gives assist to Nigerian businesses, retrieved 2017-02-15
  6. ↑ "Google to train 400 000 Nigerian youths". CNBCAfrica.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  7. ↑ "Bunmi Banjo: Giving one million Africans a digital future". CNN. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  8. ↑ "Bunmi Banjo | Africa Com AHUB Speaker". tmt.knect365.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  9. ↑ "Fezah – Venture Capital for Africa". VC4A.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  10. ↑ "Google to train 1 million people in Africa in digital skills | IT News Africa – Africa's Technology News Leader". www.itnewsafrica.com. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  11. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Google Nigeria to train 1 million people on digital skills – Country chief – Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. January 21, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  12. ↑ "Livity Africa Home Page – Livity Africa". Livity Africa. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  13. ↑ "Google's #DigitalskillsforAfrica: Over 500,000 trained – The Nation Nigeria". The Nation Nigeria. October 26, 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  14. ↑ "Q&A: Google's Bunmi Banjo chats Africa's digital skills growth – Memeburn". Memeburn. March 15, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  15. ↑ Bright, Jake. "Google expands its African initiatives". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  16. ↑ Bright, Jake. "Google expands its African initiatives". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
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