Dr. Lady Adaina AJAYI

Lady Adaina Ajayi is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Development Studies in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Covenant University, Nigeria. She serves as the Chair, Standing Committee on Projects of the African Studies and Research Forum (ASRF). In 2018, she became an African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES) Junior Research Fellow. As a scholar-practitioner with over 10years + in teaching, research and advocacy, she continues to address and trace the intersections on issues bordering around, Gender-based Violence; Feminist Theory and Policy; Women's Rights; Human Rights Instruments; Masculinities and Cultural Diversity. She emphasizes the fact that, critical gaps remain in literature and in practice regarding the intersection of gender studies and feminist theory, women's rights advocacy and a critical appraisal of the impact of increasingly powerful international regimes in defining and regulating some of the contemporary debates around sexuality, and women's reproductive health and rights. She is excited by the challenge of constantly revisiting how our theoretical constructs will engage the increasingly problematic policy directions of some emerging political actors while drawing from the work of engaged scholars in shaping future pathways.

Recently, she was selected to participate in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) COVID-19 Challenge: Africa Takes on COVID-19 which was a third in a series of virtual hackathons aimed at finding solutions to COVID-19 related challenges. Lady’s team worked on "Community Smart Savings, Stay Healthy, Beat #COVID-19 and Build the Future We Want". She worked in different capacities but to mention a few, these included-#resourceperson #projectmanagement #designthinking #teambuilding. Also, in June 2019, she was a guest speaker at the "Freedom from Gender-Based Violence: Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution in the African Diaspora." Conference at the Cornell University Africana Center organised by the Politics Department, Ithaca College and the African Women's Initiative, United States of America.
Additionally, she was a member of the research team awarded an Academic Challenge Grant by the Office of the Provost Ithaca College, New York, United States, titled "Mutating Patriarchies and the Struggle against Domestic Violence: Decoding the Politics of Silencing and Disbelief in West Africa and the United States". She has also been a visiting researcher in the Department of Politics, Ithaca College, New York-United States,two consecutive times and one of it led to a symposium on "Evaluating International Collaboration in Struggles for Rights and Justice: Gendered Violence and other Challenges" where she was also one of the speakers. Lady Ajayi was an active participant in the "Classrooms Beyond Borders" (CBB) Program between Ithaca College (USA), Covenant University (Nigeria), UNISA (South Africa) and An Najah University (West Bank) in 2011. Also, she is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of International Women's Studies (JIWS) and belongs to these professional associations; International Political Science Association (IPSA), African Studies and Research Forum and the Lagos Studies Association (LSA).