[6] Born in South London in a Nigerian family,[7] Funmi (Oluwafunmilayo) Olonisakin[8] obtained her first degree at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in Political Science (BSc).
[9] In a career that spans many decades, Olonisakin has continued to build a critical mass movement of African leaders and scholars with intrinsic values that promote pan-Africanism on integrity, respect for diversity, pursue of excellence, engaging the youth agency in Africa and independent thinking.
She served on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Fragile States from 2008 to 2010 examining and evaluating how transformative leadership can have such lasting impact on governance and post-conflict reconstruction.
During her professional engagement in this role, "she facilitated the establishment of the National Commission for War Affected Children in Sierra Leone and the Child Protection Unit in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Olonisakin is the first black woman to reach the professorship cadre at King's College, London,[15] and has been named in the Powerlist of Britains most influential people of African origin, including in the Top 10 of the 2019 ranking, and inclusion in the following 2020 and 2021 editions.