Rafiu Adeniran Lawal

Rafiu Adeniran Lawal has more than eight years of experience in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, accountability governance and civil society engagement. Currently, Rafiu is the Founder and Executive Director of the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, a network of young people who work for peace and security across communities in Nigeria. He has previously worked as the Regional Coordinator of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders in West and Central Africa. Rafiu is the current Regional Representative of Global Partnership of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in West Africa. He holds a master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan and a bachelor's degree in Social Studies Education from Obafemi Awolowo University. He is a passionate peace advocate, teacher, social commentator, and researcher. He co-edited the book ‘Connecting and Amplifying Voices of Youth Building Peace in Nigeria (2020)’ and the report ‘Complementarity of the UN Security Council Resolution 2250 and the African Union Continental Framework on Youth, Peace, and Security (2021)’. Rafiu is a 2022 alumnus of the Mandela Washington Fellowship-a leadership initiative of the United States of America.