Seven Nigerians Selected for the 2021 Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship
The Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organisation in Washington DC has selected 25 leading development experts from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, for the 2021 New Voices Fellowship Program. The Fellows include pathfinding experts who would take up more powerful roles as advocates and policymakers in the global development discussion. In a press release, the institute disclosed that the Fellows bring in world-class expertise alongside lived experience of basic development challenges. Ten of the selected Fellows specialize in different aspects of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), part of a three-year New Voices effort to shine the spotlight on this important topic.
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Amongst the 25 Fellows selected for the New Voices Fellowship, seven Nigerian experts made it to the list. They include Adekemi Adeniyan, Maymunah Kadiri, Nelson Olanipekun, Nkasi Wodu, Olanike Adeyemo, Oyeronke Oyebanji, and Tijani Salami. More about them below:
Adekemi Adeniyan
Adekemi Adeniyan is the Founder and Executive Director of Dentalcare Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on providing free oral health education and treatments to the less privileged, especially those situated in rural areas. Adekemi is also co-founder of Komplete Woman, an organization dedicated to mentor young women into discovering their purpose. She is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative RLC, West Africa; an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, UK; and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at the Atlantic Institute. Adekemi won the 2019 Woman of the Year award for Healthcare by Nigerian Her Network and was listed among the 2020 Leading Ladies Africa’s 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria.
Maymunah Kadiri
Maymunah Kadiri, popularly referred to as ‘the Celebrity Shrink’ is a multiple award-winning Neuropsychiatrist and Mental Health Advocate. Maymunah is the Founder and Managing Director at Pinnacle Medical Services, Nigeria’s leading mental health clinic prominent in the application of innovative clinical approaches in the treatment of a wide range of psychological, emotional, and behavioral related disorders. Maymunah is a leading voice in Nigeria on mental health and wellness, with about 20 years’ experience as a practising physician.
Nelson Olanipekun
Nelson Olanipekun is the Founder and Executive Director of Citizens Gravel, a not-for-profit organization promoting increase in the justice delivery process through access to justice and citizen engagement. Nelson is highly passionate about human rights and intends to enable access to unobstructed justice through the innovative use of digital technology, both as a lawyer and as a tech developer.
Nkasi Wodu
Nkasi Wodu is the Peacebuilding Program Manager at the Foundation for Partnership Initiative in Niger Delta (PIND). Nkasi facilitates the Partners for Peace Network (P4P), a community of over 5,000 peace actors in the Niger Delta region. He is a skilled trainer, who has provided capacity building and mentorship to several peace actors in the region. Nkasi is also a trained lawyer, a certified mediation trainer and practitioner from the institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, Nigeria.
Olanike Adeyemo
Olanike Adeyemo is a Professor of Veterinary, Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Olanike pioneered scholarship and leadership in ‘One Health’, which studies and innovates on issues involving the environment, livestock, wildlife, and human communities. Olanike’s findings on environmental pollution, food safety, re-emerging infectious diseases and more have influenced policymaking in Nigeria and the world. She is an elected Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the African Academy of Sciences and World Academy of Sciences.
Oyeronke Oyebanji
Oyeronke Oyebanji is a public health professional, currently working as Strategy Coordinator for Vaccine Research and Development at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). In her role, she is actively involved in COVAX, an initiative launched by CEPI, GAVI and WHO to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe.
Tijani Salami
Tijani Salami is the Founder of Sisters Caregivers Project Initiative and a Medical Doctor at the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Tijani has over 10 years’ experience working on the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights in Nigeria by facilitating outreach, health promotion and the empowerment of women and adolescents. He is a Fellow of the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights Gender-Based Violence (GBV) advocacy group. Tijani seeks to see the end of GBV in Nigeria, especially among rural dwellers and underserved communities as well as in other developing countries.