Jibikeoluwa Faborode

Sponsoring Rotary District: 9125
Worked in: Nigeria
Degrees from: Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Future plans: "I want to lead technically sound and data-driven interventions that strengthens public institutions to improve human capital development and resilience against conflict risks such as extreme poverty, climate variability, violent extremism, and social injustice ”

Jibikeoluwa Faborode is passionate about creating enabling environments for reduced inequality and sustainable peace. Having lived through early childhood experiences of violent communal conflict in South-West Nigeria, she has built her career around developing and delivering solutions that protect vulnerable people in conflict situations, rebuild conflict-affected communities, maximize human capital and foster peace. She holds a B.Sc. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and has a M.Sc. degree in Energy Economics, Management and Policy in view.

Over the past 7 years, Jibike has managed several high value development interventions spanning international trade, education, gender equality and peacebuilding for the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Nigeria. In her most recent role as a Programme Lead for the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), Jibike has led the design and implementation of the CSSF’s first Women, Peace and Security Programme (WPS) in Africa. She also supported the delivery of a Lake Chad Basin Programme, where she managed projects focused on enhancing community cohesion and security infrastructure, reintegrating displaced women and children, and facilitating public safety for millions of people living in areas liberated from Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgents. As the WPS Focal Point for the UK mission in Nigeria, Jibike led policy coordination and accountability across multiple government departments towards improving gender mainstreaming efforts in peacebuilding initiatives and preparing annual progress reports to UK Parliament.

Prior to these core peacebuilding work, she managed the Chevening Awards portfolio in Nigeria, an international education exchange programme, which she transformed to achieve greater gender and disability representation. In 2018, Jibike co-founded Include Me Africa Initiative (IMAI), a non-profit that advances disability inclusion by leveraging technology, partnerships and the arts to inspire action and deliver impact. Through IMAI’s “STEM-Ability Project”, she has empowered public school students with disabilities and their teachers with STEM training and mentorship. Jibike also serves as the Equity and Inclusion Chair of the Abuja Hub of the Global Shapers Community (a youth group of the World Economic Forum). She was a panelist at the “Education for All” Panel at the 2019 ECOSOC Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Jibike sees the Rotary Peace Fellowship as a springboard that will position her to scale her contributions in Nigeria (and Africa). Inspired by the journeys of trailblazers like Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Jibike envisions being positioned for transformative roles such as Nigeria’s Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by 2035. Before then, she plans to provide technically-driven program management, policy research, evaluation and advisory services to governments, donors and development organizations.