Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah (she/her) is a first-generation Ghanaian-Canadian queer woman and award-winning feminist activist dedicated to the liberation of all her communities. She is the co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. Recently, she was the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity and has been instrumental in advancing the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ youth and communities.
She has spoken at parliamentary standing committees and has appeared in numerous media outlets, including being an expert in the CBC docuseries “The Big Sex Talk”.
Debbie has deep roots in program and project management, gender-based analysis, feminist foreign policy, and international affairs. She completed her undergraduate degree in Women’s and Gender Studies (with double minors in African Studies and Political Science) from Carleton University. Debbie holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, specializing in International Development Policy from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (Carleton University).
She has worked at Global Affairs Canada as a policy analyst responsible for strategic advice on child protection, gender equality, and broader sexual and gender-based violence issues, with a particular focus on adolescent girls and the girl child. Prior to CCGSD, she was a Campaign and Outreach Officer at Oxfam Canada, responsible for developing public engagement strategies to advance gender justice. She has also been a board member of several organizations, including The Platform, Harmony House Women’s Shelter, Inter Pares, and the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Debbie is currently a board member and co-chair of Dignity Network Canada’s Advocacy and Government Relations Working Group and she is also involved in assisting coordination globally around opposition to the anti-LGBTIQ bill in the Ghanaian parliament.