WBAF announces that H. E. Noomane Fehri, Former Minister of ICT and Digital Economy of the Republic of Tunisia has accepted to serve as WBAF High Commissioner for promoting and facilitating digital transformation globally.
He is known to be a reformer and a leader in the digital economy. His mandate has initiated the emergence of a Tunisian startup ecosystem which he decided to support through the ‘Technology Payment Card’ and Tunisia’s ‘Startup Act Law’.
In his legendary speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the World Summit on the Information Society, he laid out a roadmap for empowering the startup economy in Africa through digital transformation.
He was Minister of ICT and Digital Economy in Tunisia in 2015 and 2016. After a 20-year distinguished career in energy and technology which spanned 10 countries, he decided to dedicate his time and energy to politics and was elected in 2011 to the Constituent Assembly and was re-elected to the Assembly of People’s Representatives in 2014. In 2017, he left politics to found B@Labs, a startup incubator launched jointly with BIAT, the first privately-owned bank in Tunisia. Recently he was nominated by the startup ecosystem in the region to lead the Maghreb startup and angel investment network initiative. On the personal level, he is an angel investor who is currently supporting several early-stage startups. He holds a master’s degree in geophysics from the École Normal Supérieure in Paris, France and an engineering degree from the French Petroleum Institute.
Baybars Altuntas, WBAF Chairman, says, ‘I believe that H. E. Noomane Fehri’s participation in WBAF as High Commissioner will bring a wide range of opportunities for startups, scaleups and high-growth businesses that are innovating in the area of digital transformation and that more doors will open for economic development. Innovators around the world through digital transformation will now be able to connect more easily with the global investors market, which will in turn open up splendid opportunities for the world economy.
As an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnerships for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the WBAF supports startups, develops entrepreneurial ecosystems, and helps venture capital and companies connect with international companies, fintechs and other relevant institutions. We are confident about our contribution to the economic development of countries by way of facilitating connections with entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Welcoming H .E. Noomane Fehri, Former Minister of ICT and Digital Economy
It is with sincere pleasure that WBAF welcomes H. E. Noomane Fehri, Former Minister of ICT and Digital Economy of the Republic of Tunisia to the world’s early-stage equity and capital markets. The world economy will be enhanced by espousing the values of H. E. Noomane Fehri.
With its 114 High Commissioners, Senators and International Partners in 67 countries and by working together across borders, with a common vision, and with smart dynamics in mind, we are well placed to bring about positive change in the global economy and to help create new jobs, social justice and freedom all around the world.’
About the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF)
An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is an international organisation aiming to ease access to finance for businesses from start-up to scale-up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and more social justice worldwide. It is committed to collaborating globally to empower world economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, start-ups, and SMEs. The Forum interacts with leaders in all areas of society, first and foremost in business and political spheres, to help assess needs and establish goals, bearing in mind that the public interest is of paramount importance. WBAF engages a wide range of institutions, both public and private, local and international, commercial and academic to help shape the global agenda.
About GPFI
The Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) is an inclusive platform for all G20 countries, interested non-G20 countries, and relevant stakeholders to carry forward work on financial inclusion, including implementation of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan endorsed at the G20 Summit in Seoul. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is the Honorary Patron of the GPFI.
