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BRENDA KAGENI, the editor of Standard Group, spoke to the Achieving Women on how "she intends to put Africa on the ICT world map"..
 Sophia at a Glance by Standard Daily Has a Bachelor Degree in Business Analysis & Information Systems Has an MBA in Management of Information System Has had Managerial positions with financial/banking multi-nationals such as Price WaterhouseCoopers & Bank of America
Broke-off from her Corporate career to focus on third world technological development
Started CBS International with a mission to transfer technology to emerging economies and
Its affiliate Sbcommunications Network pls (Sbcnet) based in Ethiopia specializing in systems integration and dedicated to serving emerging economies.
She is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Control Specialist (CCS), Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), A Rotary Harris Fellow (PHF) and active Ambassador to various Rotary Clubs Since 2010: Co-Founder & Executive Board Director SF-Internet Society (ISOC) Alumni Board Director, Golden Gate University, San Francisco Advisor, World Affairs Council, Contra Costa And her current focus is DotConnectAfrica: "DCA's purpose is to get the public involved in the process and to give back to society. Profits from .Africa will be reinvested in projects to develop the continent" Sophia's heart is in Africa where she says you get an opportunity to build something from scratch and bring services to people FIRST AFRICAN WOMEN: Having been the first African at ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) Council of the gNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization), which advises on global internet policy over such generic domain names as .africa, Bekele wanted to do something for her continent. She initiated the ".africa" project which she hoped would help foster the spirit of Pan-Africanism and help Africa become more connected to the rest of the world. "The .Africa name is more than an internet identifier. It is branding Africa in a common theme," says Bekele. "It is branding African products and services. It is for all companies trying to do business in Africa and those that want a Pan-African identity. Having an African domain will help them in reaching out to Africa. It will boost business and boost regional integration". In the past the primary ending of web addresses had been '.com', '.net', '.org' and '.biz' but with the expansion we begun to see endings such as '.sport' and '.travel' in web addresses. With the liberalization also came geographic names '.eu' was the first to be launched for Europe followed by '.asia' for Asia." STUDIED IN THE USA Bekele now an Executive Director with DotConnectAfrica has worked as an adviser with ICANN and with her organization CBS International, a private California based firm, engaged in transfer of technology to developing economies, felt that she has the passion and the expertise to deliver on the project. "I studied in the USA, but my heart has always been in Africa", says the Ethiopian born". HELPING START UPS Bekele has worked in advising Corporate Development & Communication for various start-ups within the US and assisting various companies in private/public markets in corporate governance and risk management areas. "I still do other projects, but my whole energy is on ".africa". It is in Africa that you get an opportunity to build something from scratch and bring services to people. It may not be financially rewarding at times, but it is intellectually stimulating. Through this, we can leave our internet footprints in Africa." Press release: http://prlog.org/11994144 Link to Bekele's Bio can be found here: SophiaBekele.com | 
