In a move to strengthen the fight against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and to nurture young women leaders, BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights and the Clinic for Human Rights, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have officially launched the Next Gen Nexus, an eight-week Virtual Institute on Sexual Violence Response, Leadership, and Advocacy. 

Commencing on October 6, 2025, and sponsored by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF), the program brings together 50 female undergraduates from OAU for intensive virtual training in leadership skills, gender justice, and advocacy against sexual violence. 

The Next Gen Nexus is designed not just as an educational space but as a platform of transformation. Participants will be guided through modules covering foundation concepts, understanding sexual violence, transformative leadership, action and advocacy, and finally a showcase of advocacy projects. Practical assignments are built in so that theory meets on-ground or virtual action. 

In the initial e-orientation session, held via Zoom, participants and facilitators laid out expectations, learning objectives, and community norms. Ice-breaker activities such as exploring the meaning behind their names and reflecting on privilege versus power helped build trust and connection among the group. 

Organisers explained that the Institute uses feminist pedagogy and asset-based learning. That means that participants’ lived experiences are treated as valid sources of insight, alongside academic or theoretical perspectives. They are supported to become articulate advocates, able to challenge institutional silence and cultural taboos around sexual harassment and assault. 

Facilitators include Anne Adidu-Lawal (Coordinating Instructor), Chibogu Obinwa (Programme Director at BAOBAB), Kolawole Olatosimi (National Coordinator, Child and Youth Protection Foundation), and Gwendolyn Oshoniyi (media professional). Their combined expertise spans human rights, gender advocacy, communications, and youth leadership. 

At the end of the eight-week virtual institute, each participant will produce a mini-advocacy project aimed at creating real impact in her campus or community. Organisers believe this will spark ripple effects as participants share knowledge and galvanize others. 

The launch of Next Gen Nexus is timely, coming amid growing concerns about how sexual violence and harassment persist in university settings, often reinforced by stigma, silence, and institutional neglect. By investing in young women leaders, BAOBAB and the OAU Clinic aim to dismantle some of those barriers and build structures of accountability and support.