Dr. Rita Bissoonauth presently heads the African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Before moving to Ouagadougou, she was a Senior Policy Officer in Education for five years at African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. She also worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Mauritius Institute of Education in Mauritius and the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada teaching Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Science Education.

Ms. Bissoonauth holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lyon, France and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada.