Rebecca Enonchong
Enonchong in 2019
Born (1967-07-14) July 14, 1967
Southwest Region, Cameroon
NationalityAmerican
OccupationCEO
EmployerAppsTech
AwardsFREng

Rebecca Enonchong FREng[1] (born in July 14,[2] 1967) is a Cameroonian technology entrepreneur and also the founder and CEO of AppsTech. She is best known for her work promoting technology in Africa.

Enonchong has been a recipient of various awards from organizations such as the World Economic Forum. Forbes listed her as one of the 10 Female Tech Founders To Watch In Africa during 2014.

Early life and education

Enonchong was born in the Southwest Region of Cameroon in 1967.[3] Her father was Dr. Henry Ndifor Abi Enonchong, who was a well-known barrister in Cameroon. While Enonchong was growing up in Cameroon, her father helped create the Federal Cameroon Bar Association and its successor, the Cameroon Bar Association.[4]

In her teens, Enonchong moved to the US with her family.[5] While studying, she took up a job selling door-to-door newspaper subscriptions from the age of 15. She later became a manager at the same company at the age of 17.[6]

Enonchong attended the Catholic University of America, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and also a Master of Science degree in Economics.[7]

Career

Enonchong in 2018

After finishing her education, Enonchong went on to work for a number of organizations including Inter-American Development Bank (IaDB) and Oracle Corporation.[8]

In 1999, Enonchong founded the company AppsTech, a Bethesda, Maryland-based global provider of enterprise applications.[9] AppsTech is an Oracle Platinum Partner and has customers in over 40 countries.[9]

AppsTech opened offices in several countries, including Enonchong's native Cameroon.[10] She describes the experience as having been difficult and having led to the closure of AppsTech subsidiaries.[11][12]

In 2002, The World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland named Enonchong a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) along with other tech entrepreneurs such as Google co-founder Larry Page and Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff.[13]

In 2013, Enonchong was recognized as a finalist for the African digital woman award.[14] In March 2014, Forbes listed her as one of the ‘10 Female Tech Founders to Watch in Africa’.[9][15]

Enonchong has also gained notoriety as one of the more followed sources for African tech news on Twitter, with over 200, 000 followers in 2023. Her handle, @Africatechie, has become a nickname for Enonchong in IT circles.[16]

In August 2021, Rebecca Enonchong was arrested and taken into custody in Douala. Her lawyers denounce a "serious abuse of authority" on the part of the judicial system.[17]

Non-profit work

Enonchong has spent much of her career promoting technology in Africa. She has carried out the work in both the U.S. and in Africa. She was the founder and Chairperson of the Africa Technology Forum, a non-profit dedicated to helping technology startups in Africa.[5]

Enonchong is a member of the board of directors for the Salesforce.com Foundation.[18] She is on the board of VC4Africa, which is one of the largest online communities in Africa that is dedicated to entrepreneurs and investors.[19] She is a member of the UK Department for International Development's Digital Advisory Panel,[20] and was previously involved with the UN’s Women Global Advisory Committee and the United Nations ICT Task Force.[21]

Recognition

  • Elected International Fellow, UK Royal Academy of Engineering, 2022.
  • Forbes - 50 Over 50: EMEA Award (2022)[22]
  • Business Insider - Female Leader of the Year in Africa (2022)[23]
  • Black Enterprise – 2014 Women of Power[24]
  • IT News Africa – 10 Africans making waves in technology (2014)[25]
  • Forbes – 10 Female Tech Founders To Watch In Africa (2014)[26]
  • Digital Women – African Digital Woman of the Year Finalist (2013)[14]
  • WIE (Women, Inspiration and Enterprise Network) – 2013 WIE Africa Power Woman[27]
  • New African – 50 Leading Women in Business in 2013[28]
  • World Economic Forum – Global Leader for Tomorrow (2002)[29]
  • African Folder – African Female Founders You Should Know In 2023[30]

References

  1. ↑ "New Fellows 2022". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Birthday".
  3. ↑ blackentrepreneurprofile.com. "Rebecca Enonchong". Black Entrepreneurs & Executives Profiles. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  4. ↑ "The Giant Strides of Women in Tech". Amazons Watch Magazine. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  5. 1 2 "Tech Entrepreneur Works to Push Internet Use in Her Native Africa". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "20 kickass African tech entrepreneurs worth your time". Venture Burn. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Profile: Rebecca Enonchong – founder and CEO of AppsTech". The Habari Network. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Exclusive interview: Rebecca Enonchong, CEO AppsTech". This is Africa. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "10 Female Tech Founders To Watch In Africa". Forbes. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Information Technology from the United States to Cameroon: Rebecca Enonchong and AppsTech" (PDF). Columbia Business School. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Taking on Africa, a Cameroonian businesswoman's journey". How We Made it in Africa. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Founder, Investor, Activist: Rebecca Enonchong's Multi-Lane Road as a Tech Powerhouse". TechCabal. 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  13. ↑ "Class of 2002" (PDF). WE Forum. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Finalists Africa 2013". Digital Woman Award. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Rebecca Enonchong: a Heavyweight in African Tech". World Bank. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  16. ↑ Financial Times This Is Africa. "Exclusive interview: Rebecca Enonchong, CEO AppsTech". Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Cameroon detained an influential tech figure for African entrepreneurs". qz.com. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "África no es un país". El Pais. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Rebecca '@africatechie' Enonchong: "Don't lower your requirements because it's Africa"". VC4A Africa. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Introducing DFID's digital advisory panel". Gov.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  21. ↑ "International Influence: 10 Power Women in Africa to Follow on Twitter". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  22. ↑ McGrath, Maggie. "50 Over 50: EMEA 2022". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  23. ↑ Africa, B. I. (2022-04-12). "Here are the winners of the inaugural Business Insider Africa Awards". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  24. ↑ "Women of Power". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "10 Africans making waves". IT News Africa. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  26. ↑ "Female Tech Founders". Forbes. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  27. ↑ "The 2013 WIE Africa Power List! Find Out Which 60 Exceptional African Women Made the List". Bella Naija. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "Women mean Business" (PDF). New African. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  29. ↑ Benioff, Marc (9 January 2009). Compassionate Capitalism: How Corporations Can Make Doing Good an Integral Part of Doing Well. ISBN 9781442956810. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  30. ↑ "15 African Female Founders You Should Know In 2023". African Folder. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
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