Fadekemi Akinfaderin

Fadekemi Akinfaderin-Agarau received a BA from Wesleyan University, Connecticut, as a double-major in Chemistry and Molecular Biology/Biochemistry. She also holds a Masters in Public Health from the Population and Family Health Department at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York.  

At the age of 20, Fadekemi co-founded Education as a Vaccine against AIDS (EVA) and currently serves as the Executive Director.  EVA is one of Nigeria’s leading a non-profit that works to build and implement innovative and sustainable mechanism for improved quality of life for vulnerable children and young people.  Aside from her leadership role in the non-profit organization, Fadekemi has served in an advisory role and has contributed to the development youth health and development programs and policies within Nigeria and globally.  She currently serves as a member of the Nigerian Minister of Health’s Technical Advisory Committee on Adolescent and Young People’s Health and Development and the National Agency for Control of AIDS technical working group on HIV Prevention.  Previously, she served as the Secretary of the Youth Committee for the 14th International Conference on AIDS and STI in Africa, Abuja.  Fadekemi has worked as an international Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights activist with Advocates for Youth, Americans for Informed Democracy and the International Women’s Health Coalition and as an Assistant to the Secretary General Kofi Anan’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa.  

She has received several awards including the National Institute of Health (NIH) research fellowship (1998); Echoing Green Foundation Fellowship (2000-2004); United States, Wadzell Institute Architect of the Future, Compton Foundation Population fellowship; Commonwealth Professional Fellowship.   In 2008, Fadekemi was recognized by young Nigerian professionals as one of the “Top 40 Nigerian Females Under 40” and was recently selected as a TEDx Euston speaker in 2013.  

Organization: EVA

Organization website: http://evanigeria.org

Country: Nigeria