Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
Tribute
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi advocates for Nigerian gender equality through writing and policy while raising her son Folajimi with principles that will help create a more equitable future. As long as mothers are alive, no son is too old to be raised. Beyond her publications and foundation work, we celebrate the feminist theory applied to both public policy and family dynamics, the organizational leadership balanced with maternal guidance, and how some of her greatest accomplishments are values instilled at her dining table.
Profile
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Nigerian-British feminist, policy advocate, and writer. She served as the First Lady of Ekiti State, Nigeria, during her husband Kayode Fayemi’s governorship from 2010 to 2014 and 2018 to 2022. She founded the Above Whispers Media Foundation, where she writes the Loud Whispers column, established The Wrapper Network, a mentoring program for women and co-founded the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF). She has held advisory roles, including Senior Advisor to UN Women Nigeria and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Leadership Centre, King’s College London. Bisi has authored Voice, Power and Soul (2008), Speaking Above A Whisper (2013), and Loud Whispers (2017). She holds degrees in history from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and a master’s in Gender and Society from Middlesex University, UK. Passionate about gender equality and social justice, she continues to drive advocacy and policy reforms. She and her husband have a son, Folajimi Fayemi.