Olanike Olugboji-Daramola is a pioneering Nigerian environmentalist, climate justice advocate, gender rights champion, and founder of the Women Initiative for Sustainable Environment (WISE). With a career rooted in grassroots activism and women-led environmental stewardship, she is widely celebrated for her tireless efforts to empower women and communities as active agents of sustainability, peacebuilding, and climate resilience in Nigeria and beyond.

Born on July 1, 1974, in Kaduna, Nigeria, Olanike developed a passion for social and environmental justice early in life. She pursued formal education in Urban and Regional Planning, earning a Bachelor of Technology from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, and a Master of Technology in the same field from the Federal University of Technology, Akure. Her academic foundation provided the technical knowledge needed to understand how human settlements, environmental degradation, and social inequalities intersect—especially in vulnerable communities.

Olanike’s activist journey began in earnest in 2004 when she founded the Environmental Management and Protection Network (EMPRONET) to raise awareness on environmental issues. By 2009, the organization evolved into WISE (Women Initiative for Sustainable Environment), an NGO that works at the intersection of gender, environment, and development. Under her visionary leadership, WISE has impacted over 120,000 women and girls, focusing on climate education, clean energy advocacy, sustainable livelihoods, and community resilience.

A hallmark of her work is the promotion of clean and efficient energy alternatives in Nigeria’s underserved communities. Through WISE, she has led campaigns that have distributed over 60,000 clean cookstoves, reducing indoor air pollution, improving women’s health, and decreasing dependence on firewood—thereby addressing deforestation and climate mitigation simultaneously. She has also spearheaded education programs to raise environmental consciousness in rural schools and empower girls as future environmental leaders.

Olanike is a founding partner of the Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) and participated in WEA’s inaugural Women and Water Training in Kenya in 2008, an experience that significantly strengthened her ability to lead WISE as a platform for transformational change. She remains actively involved in WEA’s global network and has mentored dozens of women environmental leaders across Nigeria and West Africa.

Her advocacy extends to the international stage. She has written for platforms such as World Pulse and Time Magazine, where she uses storytelling to highlight the lived experiences of African women facing the impacts of climate change. In November 2023, she led a climate justice march of over 1,000 women in Kaduna State, calling for greater representation of African women in global climate negotiations, including the UNFCCC COP processes.

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, Olanike was named a World Trade Congress on Gender Ambassador in 2022 and was also listed among Nigeria’s Top 100 Environmental Professionals by Environment Africa Magazine. Her work continues to draw attention from global development organizations, policy forums, and civil society groups seeking models of inclusive, community-centered environmental action.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Olanike is a mentor, public speaker, and passionate storyteller. Her leadership philosophy centers on equity, inclusion, and resilience, ensuring that environmental solutions are informed by the voices of those most affected, especially women and girls in marginalized communities.

As Nigeria and the wider world grapple with the twin crises of environmental degradation and gender inequality, Olanike Olugboji-Daramola stands as a beacon of transformative leadership. Her life’s work exemplifies how empowering women at the grassroots can unlock powerful solutions to today’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.