[1] From 2019 to 2020, she was a professor and served as dean of the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture in New York,[2] in addition to holding teaching and other positions in Johannesburg, London, Accra and Edinburgh.

[4] She returned to Accra, Ghana, in 2021 and established the African Futures Institute, a postgraduate school of architecture and public events platform.

[6][7] Lesley Lokko was born in 1964 in Dundee,[8] the daughter of a Ghanaian surgeon and a Scottish Jewish mother, and grew up in Ghana and Scotland.

[21] Tired of "Europe’s hand-me-downs", Lokko, in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, established the Graduate School of Architecture (GSA) in 2014/2015 and became its director.

[25] In June 2019, she was named as dean of the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, remaining in this position until 2020.

[24][26] Returning to Ghana, in 2021 she founded and is director of the African Futures Institute (AFI), a postgraduate school of architecture and public events platform in Accra.

"[32] The RIBA Journal, acknowledging Lokko's intention to "rupture" the prevailing story of architecture that under-represented and excluded many people and places, observed that, with architects and artists from Africa and the African diaspora for the first time comprising the majority of the contributors to the Biennale, and a gender balance of 50-50, "The result is a bold, complex exhibition that seems urgent and deeply felt.

[44] Describing her as "[a] fierce champion of equity and inclusion in all aspects of life", RIBA president Muyiwa Oki stated: "Lesley Lokko's progressive approach to architecture education offers hope for the future – a profession that welcomes those from all walks of life, considers the needs of our environment, and acknowledges a broad range of cultures and perspectives.

A visionary agent of change, Lesley has dedicated her life to championing these values, not only through academic endeavors, but through her work as an author and curator.