Kiki Rebecca Lawal

Founder & President of Hesed World

 

Kiki Rebecca Lawal is the Founder and President of Hesed World, an organisation dedicated to empowering young people across Africa through mentorship, capacity-building, and intergenerational collaboration. She established Hesed World with the conviction that Africa’s youth—when equipped with the right skills, networks, and support systems, can drive transformative changes in their communities and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient world.

 

Kiki brings over two decades of experience spanning international banking, ESG, private sector engagement, and the United Nations system in Geneva, New York, and Bangkok. Her career has focused on advancing sustainable development, building strategic partnerships, and advocating for systems that strengthen resilience and opportunity for vulnerable populations.

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Before founding Hesed World, Kiki served as a Programme Management Officer at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), where she supported Member States—particularly least developed and landlocked developing countries—in implementing the Sendai Framework. She also led private-sector partnerships through UNDRR’s ARISE network and previously served as Head of Signatory Relations at the UNEP Finance Initiative, where she oversaw global fundraising and engagement for sustainable finance and climate-related initiatives.

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Kiki’s most recent work with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy’s Global Fellowship Initiative further deepened her engagement in international cooperation, peacebuilding, and leadership development.

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Through Hesed World, she has initiated pilot programmes in Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria; convened dialogue platforms that elevate youth voices; and built partnerships with governments, international organisations, civil society, and private sector actors committed to Africa’s demographic dividend. Her leadership is rooted in the belief that bridging generations—and regions—creates the most powerful engine for sustainable development.

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Kiki holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool, where she specialised in social entrepreneurship, and a BA in Business Economics from Middlesex University. She is passionate about building a new model of African leadership grounded in integrity, service, and collective responsibility.