Renowned Nigerian gender and development practitioner, feminist, and public speaker, Olufunke Baruwa, has assumed a new role as a columnist for LEADERSHIP Newspapers.
With over two decades of dedicated service in social policies and reforms, Baruwa steps into this position, succeeding Ayisha Osori, an accomplished lawyer, writer and development practitioner.
Baruwa has been a key figure in advocating for women’s inclusion in strategic political, social, and economic positions in Nigeria having served in various capacities from 2000 to 2015, including roles at the National Poverty Eradication Programme and the Ministry of Communication Technology.
She spent close to a decade as the Gender Advisor at the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs.
Baruwa’s commitment to gender equality and public policy has been evident throughout her career. In 2015, she took on the position of CEO at the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, a crucial resource for women in politics and decision-making.
Her leadership at the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund garnered recognition, including being named one of the ’17 women changing the world’ at the Institute for Inclusive Development’s 2015 Colloquium. Baruwa’s influence extends globally, as seen in her participation in Harvard University’s Nigeria in The World seminar series in 2021, where she discussed efforts to combat gender-based violence in Nigeria and West Africa.
In 2020, Baruwa joined the Ford Foundation’s West Africa Office as a program officer, leading initiatives focused on gender, racial, and ethnic justice, particularly in ending violence against women and girls.
Her multifaceted expertise also includes a stint at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as the Civil Society and Media Specialist in the Peace and Democratic Governance Office.
As she takes on the role of columnist for LEADERSHIP, Baruwa continues to be a trailblazer, bringing her wealth of experience and commitment to gender equality to the forefront of public discourse.
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