Oluwafunmilayo J. Para-Mallam, mni is the immediate past Director of Studies, and a member of the National Institute who has been on on staff since 1989. She is a Professor of Gender and Development, Development Consultant, gender justice activist and policy and leadership development trainer. She is the Chairperson of the African Women’s Leadership Network (AWLN), Nigeria Chapter and member of the Presidential High-Level Advisory Committee on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender in Nigeria. She is also the Initiator and National Coordinator/Executive Director of Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS), a women’s network focused on women empowerment, tackling gender-based violence, girl-child mentoring and female leadership development. In March 2024, she was named among Nigeria’s 100 Leading Women on the Nigeria Women Annual List.
She obtained a Diplôme de Civilisation Française from Université de Grenoble, France in 1982, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in French/Portuguese from University of Ife in 1984, a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from University of Jos in 1995. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Leeds, UK (2006), a Diploma in Peace and Security from University of Uppsala, Sweden in 2009 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Missiology from All Nations Christian College, UK in 2021. In 2013, she became a Member of the National Institute after participating in the NIPSS Senior Executive Course 35, 2013. She is also an alumna of the Adaptive Leadership and Change Management course (2019)and Senior Executive Fellows Executive programme (January 2020 cohort) both of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Prof Prof Para-Mallam has served as a resource person and principal investigator on a number of collaborative projects with State, national and international agencies. She has been a guest lecturer and external examiner at the Institute for Security Studies, Abuja. She is a Member/Fellow of several professional associations.
Para-Mallam has also been involved in national/institutional assignments related to policy development such as: Technical assistance on the draft Strategic Implementation Framework for the 2007 National Gender Policy, 2007 Gender Electoral Reform Committee (resource person), and Member, Technical Experts Committee on UNDP Women in Politics programme. In 2020, she chaired the Women and Governance Sub-Committee of the Technical Working Group that developed strategies on Women Affairs for the 2021-2025 Mid-Term National Development Plan. In May 2021, she served as the International Consultation Moderator on Gender-Responsive Private Sector Investment for Inclusive Food Systems organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research. That same year, she worked with the Federal Ministry of Education, and a National Working Group on a UNESCO-sponsored initiative to develop an Inclusive Policy Lab (IPL) analytical framework for a policy that intersects gender, education and health.
Her research interests include: Gender and development policy, Culture/religion and development; Gender, peace and security, Governance and leadership development and Public policyanalysis. She loves to read, write, dance and dabble into interior decorating. She and her husband are the co-founders of the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation.
ojpala.mallam@gmail.com
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