’Kemi Okenyodo, Founder/Executive Director, Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria has over twenty years of experience in security, governance, criminal justice reform and NGO management in Nigeria and West Africa. She presently provides strategic and operational leadership for the organization with the support of a vibrant Board and team.

She has expertise in the security governance and criminal justice sector with a special emphasis on police accountability, inclusive governance, citizens and security institutions’ engagement. She has engaged in several works geared toward the evolution of non-state actors and their contributions to improving public safety and security; policing and gender issues, as well as, election security management. She is well experienced in project management, fundraising, stakeholder management, networking, team-building and innovative leadership. She has led and provided support to different international reform programs focused on security, governance, public safety and criminal justice reform.

She graduated with an LLB (Hons.) from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria in September 1997. She attended the Nigeria Law School, Abuja where she graduated as a Barrister at Law (LB) in September 1999. In June 2004, she obtained a Master’s Degree in Humanitarian and Refugee Studies from the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She further obtained a Certificate in Defence and Security Management in January 2010 from the National Defence College, Nigeria She obtained a Masters in Philosophy (MPhil.) in Criminal Justice from The Walden University in 2021. She is a member of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), African Security Sector Network (ASSN), and Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), Nigeria Alumni Chapter where she is on her second term as the Secretary-General.