Afiavi Caca (Calista) Akibode, 2022/23 Bouriez Family Fellow

Created by a generous gift from Pierre and Aurélie Bouriez, the Bouriez Family Fellowship supports graduate study for citizens of French-speaking African countries, fostering connections between Cornell and institutions of higher learning in Francophone Africa and advancing Cornell's mission to educate the next generation of global citizens.

Afiavi Caca (Calista) Akibode is from the Republic of Togo in West Africa. She holds a master's degree in project management, and economic Development and has  worked as a technical advisor in entrepreneurship at the National Agency of Employment (NAE), in charge of the development of small-scale companies. Before joining the NAE, Ms. Akibode worked for the International Labor Organization (ILO). Certified by ILO as an entrepreneurship trainer and coach, Afiavi has assisted many small enterprises in the framework of Vocational training and Youth Employment Program in agriculture with GIZ. Owner of Calia Expertise, an incubation center for women entrepreneurship, she has also successfully organized several activities to support women empowerment. 

Ms. Akibode is currently a graduate student in the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell.