I am an ICT professional with over 25 years’ experience working in the area ICTs, specifically networking and Internet technology. I obtained a BSc and MSc in Network and Systems Engineering respectively from the University of Maryland at College Park and has vast experience working across many sectors including government, non-government and private organizations.

As the National Project Professional Personnel (NPPP), under the UNDP's Internet Initiative for Africa Project I was team leader in setting up and managing the Gambia's first Internet Gateway in collaboration with Gamtel. As the Deputy Head of IT for the Medical Research Council, was responsible for production, communication and enforcement of appropriate IT Policies & Procedures as well as the planning, procurement and management of IT infrastructure across entire corporate WAN.

Currently, I am working as the Chief Information Technology Officer (CIO) of QCell Ltd, the first GSM Service Provider to offer 3G and 4G LTE services across the Gambia. Current responsibilities with QCell, a leading Internet Sevice Provider, includes overseeing corporate IT infrastructure, policy implementation & procurement. I also serve as head of Roaming and Interconnection. In addition, I double as the Executive Director of the Qgroup Foundation, the philanthropic arm through which the QGroup of companies streamline and channel all of their initiatives and interventions towards The Gambia’s developmental agenda.

In terms of giving back to the community, at the local level, I have been a founding member of ITAG and Internet Society Gambia Chapter. I have also served as the founding chairperson of the National Internet Exchange Point (SIXP), a place where operators exchange local Internet data, for over six years. At the regional level, I have worked as an instructor and programme committee member of the Africa Network Operators Group (AfNOG), a forum for cooperation and the exchange of technical information between operators of Internet-connected networks in Africa. In addition, I have served a 3-year term in the Governance committee for Afrinic, the regional body responsible for the managing IP addresses.

My passion is my work as the Executive Director of the Qgroup Foundation, where we work with development partners to provide support in the areas of Education, Health, Community & Youth development.

ABOUT ME

Driving community impact through shared learning and networking are things that drew me to the innovation space. Madeline has a degree in Physics, after which her passion for working with people using tech was her drive in joining Jokkolabs Banjul. Where she uses ICT as a catalyst for development and Education. Here she centers her work around Start-Ups/ Entrepreneurs to run the Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Awareness Program for female Start-Ups. She has also trained over two hundred women in Digital Security, Digital Skills and Advocacy working with women in rural Gambia. As well as working with kids using Design Thinking, Coding, Creative Reading and Writing to boost creativity in children and introduce innovative approaches towards teaching and learning.

She enjoys playing soccer and chess, reading fantasy novels and she is a Space Enthusiasts.

WHAT EXCITES ME ABOUT INNOVATE ME

I’m very passionate about working with children. It is the best part of my job. Every child deserves to have a good educational foundation. With Technology and its advances, it is important that we focus our educational approach towards finding new innovative ways to improve teaching and learning.

That is why I use my greatest passion “Story Telling” as the basis of everything I do. It is in our stories we challenge our imagination to grow and expand. The privilege of teaching kids how to groom their imagination to create amazing projects to solve solutions for problems unique to their communities is my strategy for economic development.