Mrs. Folake Ogunlana-Lawal- Director, Agricultural Training Institute
Folake Ogunlana-Lawal began her career as a Fisheries Officer II with the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority. She has risen to become a highly accomplished Development Communication Specialist with over 24 years of experience in the Agriculture Sector and has worked on World Bank Assisted projects for 15 years.
She is a graduate of Fisheries from Lagos State University (LASU); 1998, a Master’s Degree in Fisheries from the University of Lagos (UNILAG); 2002 and is currently running her second Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Babcock University. She holds a Post- Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising; 2011 at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ); and has participated extensively in various courses, conferences, and workshops to stay current with industry trends and best practices.
Folake Ogunlana-Lawal’s quest for global best practises and professional development includes an Intensive Communications & Public Relations course from the International School of Communication in London, United Kingdom; Leadership and Communications training from University of Northampton in Leicester, United kingdom amongst others
Throughout her career, Folake has excelled in designing and implementing strategic communication initiatives that drive social and economic development. Her expertise encompasses active listening, interpersonal communication, knowledge sharing, emotional intelligence, presentation, conflict resolution, mediation, non-verbal communication, cultural awareness, digital literacy, adaptability, dependability, and open-mindedness.
Professional skill
Her skills and expertise include developing and implementing strategic communication plans that align with project goals and enhance stakeholder engagement, building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders such as Farmers, Community Leaders, Government officials, Private Sector partners and NGOs.
She is adept at leading projects from inception to completion while ensuring timelines, budgets, and objectives are met, managing media outreach and public relations efforts to promote project activities and successes, and coordinating the systematic handling of knowledge to support organizational learning and development.
Her work continues to inspire and drive positive change, improving the livelihoods of communities and advancing sustainable development.
Major Career Achievements;
• She designed and executed communication strategies, coordinated stakeholder engagement, and ensured the effective information dissemination which played a pivotal role in providing support to farmers and empowerment ofwomen and youth on World Bank projects.
• She worked as a Knowledge Management Focal Person by coordinating knowledge generation, identification, capturing, sharing, storage, retrieval, and reuse.
• She facilitated an establishment of a functional Knowledge Repository Centre for the APPEALS project.
Outside of her professional endeavours, Folake enjoys traveling, resourceful shopping and is enthusiastic about continuous learning and professional development, consistently seeking opportunities to expand her knowledge and skills.
She is proudly a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON)