Our people
Development and human rights practitioners across six offices, led by African women and accountable to the movement. Below are our leadership, our regional and thematic leads, the wider team and the Board.
Africa Director and Founder
Gloria founded RFLD in 2012 and leads its continental strategy, institutional partnerships and engagement across the African Union system.
Under her leadership RFLD holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and sits in the Working Group of its Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. She was named an African Union AGA Youth Ambassador, sits on the CHARM Africa Consortium steering committee, and RFLD serves as Co-Chair of the GIZ/BMZ Africa SEA-T Advisory Council. She holds a Master’s in Communications and Project Management and is a PhD candidate.
Senior leadership team
Director of Strategy and Development
Communications and project management specialist with over a decade of experience in youth rights, gender equality and social development across Africa. Master’s degree in Project Management. Previously at Equality Now (Kenya) and the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (The Gambia). Leads partnership development, resource mobilisation and strategy execution.
Regional Finance Lead
Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant (FCCA) and member of ICA-Ghana. Oversees financial operations across six offices, NGOsource equivalency compliance, institutional donor reporting (GIZ/BMZ, Sida, AmplifyChange, Packard, Expertise France) and audit readiness.
Director of Programmes
Sociologist and development practitioner with a PhD in Sociology of Development and a Master’s in Disaster Risk Management. University lecturer and researcher. Leads programme design and implementation, with a focus on governance, conflict prevention and social inclusion.
Senior Grants Officer
Socio-anthropologist with a PhD in Socio-Anthropology, lecturer at the University of Abomey-Calavi and Executive Director of the Trois Sœurs Education Fund. Manages grant compliance, sub-grant design and programme monitoring across the WAFF Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio.
Head of Impact and Learning
Monitoring and evaluation specialist with a background in Political Science and International Relations and a Master’s in Gender and Peacebuilding. Leads the monitoring and evaluation framework across all programmes.
Executive Office Lead
Bachelor’s in Business Administration, specialised in Human Resources. Coordinates the Executive Office: the Africa Director’s schedule, board liaison and institutional correspondence.
Head of Administration
Oversees daily administration, logistics and procurement across the six offices, keeping internal systems and staff well-being practices in line with RFLD’s values of equality and compliance standards.
Regional and thematic leadership
Senegal Country Representative
Leads national partnerships, member engagement and programme delivery from the Dakar office.
Ghana Country Director
Leads RFLD’s work from the Accra Africa Office, with legal expertise on women’s rights cases, strategic litigation and legislative advocacy.
Nigeria Country Representative
Leads national partnerships, member engagement and programme delivery from the Lagos office.
The Gambia Country Representative
Leads national partnerships and programme delivery from the Banjul office, our ACHPR liaison.
Representative · ECOWAS, ACHPR and AU
RFLD’s liaison with regional and continental institutions.
Member Platform Coordinator
Coordinates engagement with RFLD’s 1,143 member organisations.
Strategic Communications Lead
Leads strategic communications, narrative and external engagement.
Francophone Communications Lead
Leads francophone communications strategy and regional narrative work.
Impact, Accountability and Partnerships Lead
Leads regional impact tracking and partner accountability across portfolios.
Policy and Data Officer
Manages data collection, integrity and ethical handling for the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center.
DƆNÙESÈ Data Center Regional Officer
Coordinates the regional roll-out and use of the DƆNÙESÈ Data Center.
Programme and operations team
Board of Directors
RFLD’s Board is made up entirely of women, with an African majority, and is independent of management. It carries fiduciary responsibility for the network’s continental work.
Directors on staff
Signatures to move funds
Provides strategic direction and chairs the Board.
Supports executive governance and regional partnership oversight, with experience in organisational development.
Maintains institutional records and ensures statutory and regulatory compliance.
Chairs the Finance Committee and oversees fiscal governance, audit readiness and financial transparency.
Coordinates board logistics and mobilises board resources for strategic planning.
Work with us
RFLD posts career opportunities and consultancy tenders regularly. We welcome development and human rights practitioners from across Africa and the diaspora.
