ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye

A Sociologist with over 20 years’ experience in Development, ChiChi is presently the Country Director of WaterAid, a non-profit organisation, with its headquarters in London dedicated to improving water and sanitation for the most marginalised people across the world.

Prior to her role at WaterAid she was Country Director at Girl Effect, Oxfam in Nigeria’s Country Director, Director for the Canadian International Development Agency Programme Support Unit, Deputy Programme Director for the EU funded “Support to Reforming Institutions Programme” (SRIP) and Ashoka Innovators for the Public’s Representative for West Africa.

Before returning to Nigeria, ChiChi was a Lecturer at the University of Limerick in Ireland teaching undergraduate and post graduate students of Women’s Studies, Sociology of Development. While at the university, she pioneered the “encouraging women in science and technology initiative” of the University of Limerick which exposed young women in secondary schools in Ireland to the accomplishments of women scientists and technologists. She also started the Women Studies’ lecture series and journal, “In from the Shadows.” Prior to Limerick, she was a Lecturer in the University College Cork and a Researcher at the Centre for Europeans Social Research, Cork.

She has numerous consulting experience with such agencies as the European Union, UNFPA, IPAS, UNESCO to mention a few and has produced several education materials on Gender and HIV/AIDS which are presently used as instructional aid for HIV/AIDS practitioners in Nigeria.

ChiChi also sit on the board of a number of citizen sector organisations in Africa and holds a PhD from the University College Cork in Ireland.