Sonia Ben Jaafar

Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar is a leading expert on educational development with over 20 years of experience across Canada, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Her expertise focuses on promoting the use of rigorous evidence to gain insights into, and collaborate for sustainable solutions into pressing education challenges.

Dr. Ben Jaafar currently serves as the CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education where she manages one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the Arab world. Prior to this role, she was the Managing Director of EduEval, where she cultivated partnerships with governments, international agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and multinational corporations to promote evidence-based decisions for a greater positive impact on education. Her work on major educational development projects with organizations such as the American Institute of Research, Ericsson, UNESCO, UNICEF, and War Child UK focused on SDG4. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, and a MA in Curriculum Studies from the University of Toronto. She is passionate about coupling her experience with her academic background to promote knowledge sharing and education for good. But if you ask her, she will tell you “I am a mom who is trying to make the world a better place.”