Speaker One-Liner

Adedolapo Osuntuyi is an award-winning education equity leader and author. As founder of Dolly Children Foundation and convener of the Edufuture Conference, her work spans from meeting children’s everyday needs to shaping the systems that serve them.

Short Bio

Adedolapo Osuntuyi is an education equity leader, author, and founder of Dolly Children Foundation, a non-profit expanding access to quality education for underserved children in Nigeria. For nearly two decades, her work has reached 38,000+ children across six Nigerian states, trained and supported 2,500+ teachers, and mobilised ₦185M+ in cash and kind for education. She founded Dolly Stars School, a tuition-free school model, and convenes the Edufuture Conference, which brings educators, policymakers, and partners together to shape more inclusive, future-ready education systems across Africa. A YALI Fellow and African Humanitarian Awards Education Champion (2025), she is the author of Hearts & Hands.

Full Bio

Adedolapo Osuntuyi is an award-winning education equity leader and author, and the founder of Dolly Children Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming access to quality education for underserved children in Nigeria and across Africa. For nearly two decades, she has championed education equity through literacy programmes, teacher training, mentorship, community development, and policy advocacy.

Her passion for educational justice was shaped by the stories of her father and a childhood friend, both bright, both nearly held back by limited access to education. Refusing to accept inequality as the norm, she started Dolly Children Foundation in 2006 as an undergraduate student, driven by a vision that every child, regardless of class, tribe, or background, should have the opportunity to dream, learn, and lead a fulfilled life.

Under her leadership, the foundation has reached over 38,000 children across 32 communities in six Nigerian states, trained and supported 2,500+ teachers, built partnerships with 48+ organisations, and mobilised more than ₦185 million in cash and kind for education, from scholarships to school and community projects. Because children learn best when their basic needs are met, the foundation’s work also includes feeding programmes and seasonal grocery support for children and families in the communities it serves. In 2023, she founded Dolly Stars School, a tuition-free school model demonstrating what inclusive, quality education can look like in practice. As Convener of the Edufuture Conference, she brings together educators, policymakers, and partners to shape more inclusive, future-ready education systems across Africa.

A proud native of Ekiti State based in Lagos, Adedolapo holds a BSc in Botany from Lagos State University and an MA in Child Health and Social Care from the University of Central Lancashire, UK. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (2022), received the Africa-America Institute (AAI) Scholarship for the Social Sector Management Programme at Pan-Atlantic University’s Enterprise Development Centre (2015), and graduated from the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) in 2026, reflecting her growing focus on education policy and governance. In 2026, she was selected for Cohort 6 of the African Leaders for Education School CEO Fellowship at the African Leadership Academy.

Her work has been recognised with the African Humanitarian Award (Education Champion, 2025) and a place among the 50 African Women in Development (2021). She is a Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Fellow and a top-three awardee of her 2015 cohort of the WIMBIZ Mentorship Programme. She serves as a Board Director of UGIP Development Foundation, sits on the boards of Teens Going for Gold Network and DeAltar Initiative, and mentors emerging educators through Teach for Nigeria. She is also the Public Relations Officer of the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), Lagos Chapter.

She is the author of Hearts & Hands: One Woman’s Journey to Creating a Better Future for Children, with a children’s book, Rising Stars, coming soon. At her core, Adedolapo believes every child is a star, and she has devoted her life to ensuring that no child is left behind because of class or circumstance.

Fast Facts

• 38,000+ children reached across 32 communities in 6 Nigerian states
• 2,500+ teachers trained and supported
• ₦185M+ mobilised in cash and kind (scholarships, school and community projects)
• 48+ partner organisations
• Based in Lagos, Nigeria
• Founder, Dolly Children Foundation (2006) · Founder, Dolly Stars School (2023) · Convener, Edufuture Conference (2024)
• Books: Hearts & Hands (2024) · Rising Stars (coming soon)

For interviews, features, podcasts, and press requests, please get in touch.

media[at]adedolapoosuntuyi.com