Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi

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Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Born (1963-06-11) 11 June 1963 (age 60)
Liverpool, England
NationalityNigerian
Citizenship
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Feminist activist, Gender Specialist, Policy Advocate, writer
Known forCo-founding the African Women's Development Fund[1][2]
Spouse
​
(m. 1989)​
Awards2018 Zik Leadership Prize for humanitarian Leadership by Public Policy Research and Analysis Centre (PPRAC).[3][4][5][6]

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi (born 11 June 1963) is a Nigerian-British feminist activist, policy advocate, social change philanthropy practitioner, and writer.

She was first lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria, as wife of Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.[7][8]

Fayemi is founder of Above Whispers Media Foundation and writes a weekly column called Loud Whispers at the website Abovewhispers.com.[9][10][11] She set up a mentoring program called The Wrapper. She was a UN Women Nigeria Senior advisor (2017–2018), and is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Center, King's College London.[12][13]

Education[edit]

She has a BA (1984) and MA (1988) in history from the University of Ife, now the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.[14] She received her MA in Gender and Society (1992) from Middlesex University, UK.

Career[edit]

She was the Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika from 1991 to 2001. She established the African Women's Leadership Institute. She co-founded the African Women's Development Fund, a grant-making foundation for women's organisations based in Ghana, and served as the first CEO from 2001 to 2010.[15][16] Bisi has served as Trustee, Comic Relief (UK) (1998–2001), co-Chair, International Network of Women's Funds (2004–2006); Honorary President, Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) (2003–2005); board member, Women's Funding Network (2009–2012), board member and Programs Committee Chair, [Fund for Women] (2012–2016). She is also one of the founders of the African Grantmakers Network (now African Philanthropy Network) in 2009. She was one of the conveners of the African Feminist Forum which was launched in 2006 and was a member of the Regional Working Group (2006–2016) as well as the Nigeria National Working Group.

Bisi used her platform as First Lady to influence legal and policy frameworks and to mobilise resources from a wide range of stakeholders, for the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls.[17]

Bisi campaigned for the Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law (GBV Law November 2011, revised in October 2019) an Equal Opportunities Bill (November 2013) a HIV Anti-Stigma Bill (April 2014)[18][19], a Treatment, Care and Protection Bill for Sexually Abused Minors (June 2020), the Ekiti State Mental Health Law (October 2021) the Ekiti State Gender Composition Law (March 2022), and the Multiple Births Trust Fund (October 2022). She was Chair of the Ekiti State GBV Management Committee as well as Chair of the Ekiti State AIDS Control Agency. She was also Chair, Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum (2019–2022 and under her leadership, the NGWF became a visible and active platform for the protection of women and children. It was the NGWF that facilitated the State of Emergency against Gender Based Violence declared by the Nigeria Governors Forum during the Covid19 pandemic in June 2020.

Awards and recognition[edit]

In December 2021, she was named as one of the 100 most influential leaders in civil society in Nigeria by National Network of NGOS in Nigeria, the umbrella body for CSOs in Nigeria. In March 2022 she was declared Outstanding Woman Leader by the United Nations Development Program Nigeria, UN Women Nigeria, the European Union delegation to Nigeria, and the British High Commission. In November 2022, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the African Philanthropy Network, a regional platform for African philanthropic institutions.

Selected publications[edit]

Adeleye-Fayemi is the author of Speaking for Myself: Perspectives on Social, Political and Feminist Activism in Africa (2013), Speaking above a Whisper(2013) an autobiography, Loud Whispers (2017), Where is your Wrapper? (2020), Demand and Supply (2023), and A Tray of Locust Beans (2023). She also co-edited Voice, Power and Soul.[20]

  • 2008 Voice, Power and Soul (co-edited with Jessica Horn)[21]
  • 2013 Speaking Above A Whisper[22]
  • 2013 Speaking For Myself[23]
  • 2017 Loud Whispers[24]
  • 2020 Where Is Your Wrapper?[25]
  • 2023 Demand and Supply[26]
  • 2023 A Tray of Locust Beans

Personal life[edit]

She is married to Kayode Fayemi, who went on to become Governor of Ekiti State in 2010, and again in 2018; they met while they were students, and they have one son together, Folajimi Fayemi (born 1994).

References[edit]

  1. ^ History - The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF)
  2. ^ Olabisi Adeleye-Fayemi - Synergos
  3. ^ Erelu Fayemi, two governors, former Ghanaian President win Zik leadership prize - The Guardian
  4. ^ Erelu Fayemi, Otedola, Two Governors, Ex-Ghanaian President Win Zik LeadershipPrize
  5. ^ Erelu Fayemi, two govs, former Ghanaian President win Zik Leadership Prize
  6. ^ Mrs. Fayemi receives Zik Prize award - The Nation Online
  7. ^ "Office of the First Lady – Ekiti State Website". Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Bisi Adeleye - Fayemi". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Above Whispers - About". AboveWhispers. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  10. ^ "The pulse of girl child in 'Loud Whispers'". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 24 December 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ^ "H.E. Olabisi Adeleye-Fayemi. Government of Ekiti, Nigeria – Casa Foundation". casafoundation.ca. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  12. ^ "King's College London - Ms. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi". www.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi Bisi... - Nigeria Hall of Fame Records". Facebook. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Bisi Fayemi (First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria)". Tribune Online. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  15. ^ "African Women's Development Fund (AWDF)". Newfield Foundation. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  16. ^ "About AWDF 10 Years of Leadership and Empowerment for African Women". www.awdf.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  17. ^ "Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi: Women's rights activist and community mobiliser, By Toyin Falola". 9 June 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Bisi Fayemi: Our focus on Covid-19". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi: A quintessential amazon per excellence". Vanguard News. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi". www.kcl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  21. ^ Adeleye-Fayemi, Bisi; Horn, Jessica; Wilson, Shamillah; Mukasa, Sarah; Quarmyne, Nyani; African Women Development Fund; African Feminist Forum (2009). Voice, power and soul: portraits of African feminists. African Women's Development Fund. ISBN 978-9988-1-2512-7. OCLC 946579055.
  22. ^ Jimoh, Michael (27 October 2013). "First Lady with a Difference". This Day. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  23. ^ Ajibade, Kunle (21 October 2013). "Championing the Cause of African Women". City Voice. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  24. ^ "For Adeleye-Fayemi, time for Loud Whispers". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  25. ^ Adeleye-Fayemi, Bisi (2020). Where Is Your Wrapper?. Kachifo Limited. ISBN 978-978-57067-9-6. OCLC 1249565868.
  26. ^ "Demand and Supply". 20 April 2024.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi.
  • [3] Fayemi's wife wins Zik leadership award
  • [4] Erelu Fayemi, two governors, former Ghanaian President win Zik leadership prize
  • [5] Mrs. Fayemi receives Zik Prize award
  • [6] In new books, aye demands opportunities, policies for women
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