The World Wide Web Foundation has appointed Senegalese businesswoman and activist Mari'eme Jamme as the newest member of its board of directors.
She is the first African woman to be appointed to the group's board. The foundation works towards advancing the open Web as a public good and a basic right.
One of her priorities will be ensuring more young African women have access to the Internet, it says.
Jos'e Alonso, interim CEO, says the organisation is looking forward "to harnessing her skills, experience and passion - especially in the area of online gender equality - as we work towards our vision of digital equality".
Jamme has worked across civil society, government and the private sector to promote economic development, good governance and digital inclusion.
She was selected as a young global leader by the World Economic Forum, and has founded and is involved in a number of initiatives in line with the foundation's goals. These include: Africa Gathering, a forum for African leaders to share ideas for positive change; Accur8Africa, which advocates for better data across Africa; Data Pop Alliance, a global coalition promoting a people-centred big data revolution; and iamtheCODE, which aims to help a million women and girls become coders by 2030.
"When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989, I was 15 and growing up in extremely challenging conditions as a young girl. I wish I had been able to access the Internet and knew how to use it to call or connect with someone to rescue me from the human trafficking I experienced," says Jamme.
Berners-Lee is also the founder of the Web Foundation. He said in April that the Internet needs a "complete change of strategy", especially in regards to social media and privacy. The foundation is working towards achieving this.
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