Karim SY is the founder of Jokkolabs initiative. He has managed for more 15 years a strategy and technology firm based in Dakar involved in large digital transformation project such as digitalization of the credit process of a bank, digitalization of the custom (import-export process) that become the senegalese international... Read more
Karim SY is the founder of Jokkolabs initiative. He has managed for more 15 years a strategy and technology firm based in Dakar involved in large digital transformation project such as digitalization of the credit process of a bank, digitalization of the custom (import-export process) that become the senegalese international wining platform Orbus/Gaïnde 2000.
As an entrepreneur Karim have been involved as partner and non executif director in Prismo system (Mali) a MVNO based on a network of 2000 payphones across Mali (organise the process, and first batch of 400 entrepreneurs members of the network), Partner at Alternate Payment System (Dubaï) a 3 millions USD A regional electronic payment network built around Mobile POS Terminals with pilot deployment in Mali (3 000) and Niger (500).
As an open source activist Karim has been elected at the Board of FOSSFA (Free and OSS Fondation for Africa – 2012-2014), he is partner of Maarch SAS and its affiliate company Maarch West Africa SA : an open source software company (document management system and archiving). He is involved as Project manager for the digital transformation of public administration such as the ministry of justice Senegal (30 000 files, 100 000 usd budget, world bank bid), the administration of Gabon through ANINF the state IT agency to be extended to all the ministry.
He is an active player of the emergence of the African innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem with the launch of one of the first innovation hub the 10/10/10 in Senegal (now 8 countries including France), the organisation of new format of event and meetup (startup weekend, Mobile Monday, GEW, etc.) and supporting different tech communities.
Karim SY is a founding member and executif of OPTIC the main IT organisation of Senegal since 2003, was VP of the IT/BPO cluster – Accelerate growth strategy (Senegal Prime minister cabinet from 2004-2016), member of the Council Trade Point Senegal. In march 2015 he elected by his African peer chairman of the west african public-private platform for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Johannesburg, 2017.
He is elected Ashoka Fellow in 2012, the largest network of social entrepreneurs worldwide. In 2013, Jeune Afrique Magazine futured Karim SY as one of the 25 leaders of tomorrow for francophone Africa.
Jokkolabs is a non-for-profit private initiative that was first formed in 2010 in Dakar as one of the first creative hub in Africa. The initiative is created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship. The initiative is inspired by the open source movement, therefore, open source is part of our DNA and one important feature that drives Jokkolabs’ strategy and actions.
Jokkolabs’ mission is to create sustainable collaborative ecosystems for a shared prosperity around our creative hubs (Dakar, Casablanca, Cotonou, Douala, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Banjul, Paris and Abidjan). They are a place where people of all skills, backgrounds, and experiences connect, share ideas, learn, and co-create to drive entrepreneurial innovation and social change for a shared prosperity. Jokkolabs builds communities of highly skilled and dedicated entrepreneurs that share its vision.
As an action tank, based on a user centric and an open innovation approach through these communities and several partner, Jokkolabs develops a cluster approach aiming at driving positive transformation in given sectors such as health (sig.jokkolabs.net), agriculture (FAO resilience and model farm programme), governance and new media (election monitoring system, training social networks) and technology (makerspace, opensource and digital technologies training).