Olayinka Adedeji

Olayinka Adedeji is a Nigerian lawyer who has dedicated her career to advancing the intersection of law, health, and gender. During her time at Health Ethics and Law Consulting (HELC), she played a pivotal role in developing policies that promote the health of Nigerians and gender equality. Her contributions included working with UN Women to create a training manual on gender-based violence and drafting a policy on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment for tertiary institutions in one of Nigeria's states. Olayinka also served as one of the lawyers engaged by the Africa CDC and the Nigeria CDC to draft national legislation for infection prevention and control.

Prior to her work at HELC, Olayinka worked as a Research Associate with a think tank, where she was one of the lawyers who drafted Nigeria's position on the new pandemic treaty, among other functions. Driven by her passion for African women’s health, she currently works with Youterus Health as a Research and Storytelling Consultant, focusing on highlighting African women's health through research and personal narratives. She firmly believes that more research and interventions should be centered on the specific needs and experiences of African women.

Olayinka graduated with a first-class degree in law from the prestigious University of Ibadan, Nigeria's foremost university. At Georgetown University, she plans to pursue research interests and subject focus in global health and African development, building upon her extensive experience and commitment to advancing health equity and gender justice on the continent.

Summer internship

During the summer, I interned with the Development Impact Team at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where I gained practical, hands-on experience in the design and evaluation of development finance initiatives. My work exposed me to ex-ante evaluation processes, allowing me to understand the criteria IFC uses to assess projects prior to investment, with a particular focus on anticipated development outcomes and alignment with institutional priorities. I contributed to the team’s efforts in monitoring and evaluating IFC’s portfolio in the manufacturing and services sectors for the previous fiscal year, assessing whether investments were delivering their intended development impact. In addition, I enhanced my skills in market research, applying analytical methods to support project evaluation and strategic decision-making. Finally, I assisted in preparing reports and briefing materials that were used in high-level stakeholder engagement and internal meetings, ensuring that findings were effectively communicated to both leadership and external partners.