Funmi Ogundare
The Malala Fund has appointed Nabila Aguele as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO), making her the organisation’s first global CEO based in Nigeria.
Aguele takes over from Lena Alfi, who has been part of Malala Fund for nearly nine years, serving as CEO since late 2022.
Aguele’s appointment, which takes effect April 1, 2026, follows a long-planned leadership transition and underscores the organisation’s commitment to advancing girls’ education through locally-led solutions, particularly in countries with high numbers of out-of-school girls.
Aguele, who currently serves as Chief Executive of Malala Fund Nigeria, has led the organisation’s work in the country, overseeing nearly $3 million in grants to local education advocates and supporting a civil society coalition advancing education as a strategy to end child marriage.
In the past year, the Malala Fund awarded more than $9 million in grants to over 40 organisations across 10 countries working to advance and protect girls’ education.
Speaking on her appointment, Aguele described the new role as coming at a critical moment for global education.
“I am honored to step into this role at such an important moment for girls’ education and for Malala Fund. Having grown within this organisation and led our work in Nigeria, I know the strength of this team, the ambition of our strategy and the power of our partnerships. Building on Lena’s leadership, I am committed to deepening our impact and ensuring that every girl can claim the education she deserves,” she said.
Co-founder of the organisation, Malala Yousafzai, described Aguele as the right leader for the next phase of the fund’s work, citing her policy and advocacy experience and understanding of grassroots change for girls’ education.
She also expressed gratitude to outgoing CEO Lena Alfi for guiding the organisation through a period of transformation.
Also speaking, co-founder and board member Ziauddin Yousafzai commended Alfi’s leadership and expressed confidence in Aguele’s ability to advance the organisation’s mission.
Alfi, who has served the organisation for nearly nine years, including three as CEO, said she was proud to hand over leadership, noting that Aguele had demonstrated strong commitment to policy change and centring girls’ needs.
The transition follows a succession process initiated by Alfi and supported by the organisation’s board and leadership team.
Aguele will oversee implementation of the Malala Fund’s 2025–2030 strategy in her new role.
Aguele, a cross-sector leader with more than 20 years of experience in law, policy and international development across the United States and Nigeria, previously served as Special Adviser to Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, where she championed gender-responsive fiscal policies and contributed to Nigeria’s Integrated National Financing Framework.
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