Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri

Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, the founder and director of Spaces for Change, West Africa, is a Harvard-trained lawyer, 2016 Desmond Tutu Fellow, human rights expert and stakeholder engagement specialist with 22 years’ experience in conducting advanced legal research, policy analysis, sectoral terrorism financing risk assessments, strategic communications, and social rights advocacy across Africa. She has global experience in designing and implementing rights-based policy initiatives focusing on non-profit regulation, combating money laundering, countering terrorism financing (AML/CFT), advancing gender, urban and extractive justice. She has led and participated in major studies commissioned by a wide range of global institutions.

At Spaces for Change, she leads the organization's knowledge-building, technical assistance, and policy advocacy focusing on the intersections between security, civic space, and human rights. In addition to empowering under-served communities and advising both private and public institutions, these interventions have helped governments, agencies, corporations, and civil society steer social, economic, and security reforms in West Africa. Prior to founding Spaces for Change, she was Program Coordinator at SERAC where she traversed continents, leading research investigations, documenting human rights violations, formulating social and economic policies, and analyzing their impact at national, regional, and international levels.