Gift Iyioku

Student Fellow, Hoover History Lab

Gift Iyioku is an academic focused on translating academic research into actionable government policies. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in European Studies, majoring in German language, from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a Master’s Degree in German literature from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Now a German Studies PhD student at Stanford University, she is pursuing a minor in Political Science, concentrating on international relations and political theory. Her primary research examines Afro-German migration, with a focus on African migrant autobiographies in Germany. She explores how these narratives shape migration discourse in German society, often drawing comparisons with immigration debates in the U.S.

Career-wise, Gift Iyioku worked with the Africa Progress Group (APG) and the UNESCO Institute of African Culture and International Understanding, both led by former Nigerian President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. As a research associate, she contributed to the 2020 APG report, "Population as Responsive Index: Making Africa’s Population an Asset."

Given Africa’s rapidly growing, youngest population of any continent and increasing global interest in its future, the need for scholars who can inform effective policies is imminent. As a Student Fellow at the Hoover History Lab, she will conduct policy-relevant research on Africa’s demography and immigration, aligned with her academic expertise and professional background