He is the founder of Open Si, a new technology start-up based in Benin, his home country. After putting his experience in information systems, software engineering at the service of this country for some years, the multi-award winner (both local and international) is now eyeing new markets. 

Gilles Kounou (photo) holds a degree in avionics from the Ecole de l’Air de Marrakech and another in software engineering from the Institute of Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Abomey-Calavi.  

Kounou, who fell in love with digital technologies at 13, was one of the youngest coders of Benin at the time. In his early professional years, he focused on using open-source software to help West African universities improve their management. Now, he heads Open SI, a start-up that mainly works on digital transformation and technological innovation. 

The winner of the 2015 Francophone Digital Innovation Award is also an advisor in the Cotonou City Council. He received the second Société Générale Prize for having reinvented customer experience in the bank’s branches, proven his skills as a member of the Google Developer Group of Abomey-Calavi and the Education and Research Network of Benin. Gilles Kounou spends his days tending to his administrative functions, his start-up, and his research on digital technology. 

To tackle Africa’s challenges in the digital sector, he launched Open Si in 2013. His main objective with the start-up was to solve local development issues, notably in sectors such as finance, education, agriculture, administration, and trade. Open Si supports the digital transformation of businesses and organizations by giving them innovative tools and information systems. 

Some of the major achievements of the entrepreneur who is still in his thirties include GoMedical, a platform that connects healthcare professionals, and Orange Banque (Bankiz), a terminal for dematerializing banking transactions in branches. He is also the brain behind Benin’s e-Council of Ministers, a platform for planning the operations of the Council of Ministers and organizing government meetings. 

In 2020, he came second in the World Bank’s Mission Billion Challenge “WURI West Africa Prize”. The same year, he was featured in the Choiseul 100 Africa study which ranks young African leaders aged 40 and under. Despite his astonishing accomplishments, Gilles Kounou hungers for more: He yearns to conquer West Africa.

Aïsha Moyouzame