He is an experienced DevOps, network, and database administrator. Elected to head the Benin chapter of the Internet Society, his role is to make Internet access inclusive while raising awareness on proper uses.  

Hervé Hounzandji (photo) is a Beninese DevOps systems engineer. He is a graduate of the National School of Applied Economics and Management (ENEAM Benin), where he earned a higher technical diploma in business informatics in 1997. In 2004 he also earned the DESS (old diploma equivalent to the Master) in network and system administration from the University of Lorraine. He was recently elected president of the Benin chapter of the Internet Society.  

The Internet Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes internet governance and facilitates access to the internet. It has chapters in several countries. In Benin, its chapter (ISOC Benin) is led by an office that strives for the development of the internet and makes it accessible to everyone. 

Hervé Hounzandji, who is officially heading that office since February 25, 2023, presented his roadmap during a press briefing on March 3, 2023. The roadmap is themed "Internet Society Benin Chapter and digital policy in Benin.” According to the new president, ISOC Benin wants to optimize training in several areas while focusing on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The organization will also initiate a series of discussion forums on issues related to the use and evolution of the Internet in technical, commercial, and social areas.

"In Benin, we prioritize actions aimed at promoting safe and cheaper internet accessible to everyone as well as awareness and capacity building,”   the president said. 

Since 2017, the tech professional is a DevOPS system engineer at MNT (Mutuelle Nationale Territoriale) in France. He is a senior instructor for the Benin DNS Forum, an annual exchange on Internet and DNS (a domain name system) issues.

He is a former international volunteer at the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie. During that volunteering tenure, he served as the local technical manager in Benin.  In January 2006, he was hired as a system administrator at the Nancy-Metz rectorate. Nine months later, he became the system and network administrator of the University of Lorraine. In 2013, he was appointed system and database administrator at the Nancy Regional and University Hospital, a position he held until 2017.  

Melchior Koba