Jean Philbert Nsengimana (Phil) is an accomplished technologist, public administrator, and innovative business leader. He has served in senior roles across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including as a Cabinet Minister in Rwanda and a Managing Director at The Commons Project. Currently, Jean Philbert serves as the Chief Digital Health Advisor at Africa Centers for Disease Control and Response (Africa CDC).

His diverse career reflects his passion for leveraging technology and innovation to drive economic and social progress. Phil earned a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and an MBA from the SP Jain School of Global Management in Singapore. His Harvard studies focused on digital government, leadership, and entrepreneurship, while also cross-registering at MIT in innovation and regional development.

 As Minister of Youth and ICT in Rwanda from 2011-2017, Jean Philbert spearheaded the Smart Rwanda 2020 Master Plan, establishing Rwanda as a leading ICT hub in Africa. He also co-founded pan-African initiatives like Smart Africa and YouthConnekt Africa. Previously, he held leadership roles at organizations like Voxiva and the Development Gateway Foundation.

 Phil has shared his expertise extensively through publications, volunteering, and serving on boards. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (chairman), Intrahealth International, Place Fund and the International Center of Expertise in Montreal on Artificial Intelligence.  

Jean Philbert speaks English, French, Kinyarwanda, and other African languages. He lives in Montreal with his family. His DBA research aims to explore how digital technologies can help African nations step up their health security and improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of health services.