Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Amini Kajunju assumed her position in September 2021.
Founded in 2018, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) aims to amplify the voices of women and girls in all spheres of life by increasing the representation of women in public service leadership positions in Africa.
As the EJS Center’s Director of Operations, Amini Kajunju assists the Executive Director, Dr. Ophelia Inez Weeks, in the implementation and management of the Center’s financial, reporting and operational processes and systems.
Amini Kajunju has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and economic development. Prior to joining the EJS Presidential Center team, she was the Executive Director of the Grand Bassam International University Foundation (IUGB), which is dedicated to making IUGB, located in Côte d’Ivoire, a center of excellence for higher education in Africa. Amini Kajunju joins the Foundation from Africa Integras, where she was director of strategic partnerships. Founded in 2007, Africa Integras, a New York-based company, invests in the development of educational infrastructure at African universities, including academic facilities, student residences, faculty housing, and related commercial and recreational facilities in and around African universities.
First African to Head Africa-America Institute
Prior to Africa Integras, Amini Kajunju was president and CEO of the Africa-America Institute (AAI), a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building human capacity in Africa through education, training and dialogue. Amini Kajunju was the first African to lead the oldest nonprofit organization of its kind in the United States.
Prior to AAI, Amini Kajunju led Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO), one of the oldest organizations in New York City that trains and supports small business owners and operates in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, for ten years.
In 2016, Amini Kajunju founded the Bashi Group, an international consulting firm focused on education and entrepreneurship in Africa. In 2021, Amini Kajunju also founded Nakupa, a fintech solution for African schools, students and sponsors. When it launches, it explains, Nakupa will allow Africans living in the U.S., Europe or even Africa to send education money directly to a school to support a student.
Previously, Amini Kajunju has held positions with the International Executive Service Corps and the Social Science Research Council, and interned at the Center for Humanitarian Outreach & Intercultural Exchange and the Carter Presidential Center. She is a founding member and Vice President of the Board of Directors of ANGELAFRICA, a non-profit organization designed to create a network of business leaders and professionals and promote economic growth in Africa.
Among the most influential African immigrants in the United States
Amini Kajunju holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a focus on economic development from Brigham Young University, USA and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus on finance and management from New York University. She speaks French, English, Swahili and Lingala.
Amini Kajunju is a multi-award winner and served on the World Economic Forum’s Innovation Economy Council between 2015 and 2016. She serves on the board of Education Congo, Junior Achievement (JA) Africa, and is an advisory member of the University of South Africa and The African Centre for the Study of the US (ACSUS) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa.
In 2021, Amini Kajunju earned a certificate from Harvard Edx, Africa Live: Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. She is a frequent international guest lecturer and panelist with engagements in Africa and in the USA that include Enterprise Development Center in Lagos at the Pan-Atlantic University, Global Education Skills Forum, African Diaspora Investment Symposium, Dartmouth, Yale, BYU, NYU, Harvard, Georgetown University, Columbia University, and U.S. International University-Africa (USIU) to name a few.
In 2020, she received the World Remit Top 10 Most Influential African Migrants in the United States award.
