Mrs. Alaya Balqees(F)

Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) was founded in 2014, as a student initiative on the campus of the University of Ilorin and is registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission with registration number CAC/IT/NO 119116 as a youth-based non-profit making and non-governmental organisation. We are driven by our passion and commitment to achieving good governance, promoting civic engagement and peaceful political participation, youth entrepreneurship, advancing civic liberties, and championing the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). As an organisation we have led a series of research on women’s empowerment, gender and governance, rural livelihoods, and feminist movements in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We have consulted for organizations like Project Everyone (UK), Bill and Melinda Gates Funded CIVICUS Project in South Africa, KTN Global Alliance, Africa Uk, Restless Development UK, AfriLabs, Nigeria, Women IN Fintech, Netherlands and National Training Academy, Egypt. Over the years, we have built a reputation as an NGO at the forefront of demanding the formulation of youth-oriented policies through a series of advocacies and partnerships with other civil societies. Our methodology is to use data-driven analyses to seek transparency and accountability from the government. Through our innovative programmes, we have reached out to over 12 million Nigerians both online and offline. Our engagements have focused on the implementation of the SDGs, provision of quality education, empowering local communities and building an enabling environment for women's human right through training, research, storytelling, advocacy and protest.