Africa Region

The AFR Regional Hub is working on the theme ‘Leadership and Governance’ as part of its current Regional Flagship Initiative.

In light of the global inequities that continue to permeate health systems and the role of governance in shaping these, leadership towards sustainable health systems that work for all feels important now more than ever. Creating sustainable leadership models that challenge divisive political, economic and social issues requires creative approaches to individual transformation and development in order to transform health systems themselves. As emerging public health professionals within a culturally- and geographically diverse region, our aim is to simultaneously develop capacity within our current group, as well as cohesiveness, so as to strengthen regional governance and leadership as a scalable practice. Two-monthly skill exchange sessions, masterclasses, “spotlights” and personal transformative practice shall be held within the region. The intention is for these sessions to culminate in a medium-to long term project (such as a review, commentary, or toolkit written by the group), around a regionally-important issue relevant to strengthening leadership and governance for health. This focus on transformative leadership praxis, rather than singular outputs, allows for the practice to be applied to any thematic area within health systems in the medium-long term. To get more involved with the AFR Regional Flagship Initiative, please contact iwghealthsystems@gmail.com.

IWG AFR Regional Leadership

Ramonde Patientia | AFR Board Member

Ramonde is a lifelong learner keenly interested in global health equity, health literacy and translational research. She’s been privileged to have worked in clinical research, public, and also private health sectors in South Africa and abroad, in paediatrics and child health, family medicine, and infectious diseases. She holds an MBChB from University of Cape Town (UCT), and Diploma in Child Health (College of Medicine, South Africa) as early qualifications. She was a founder member of a NPO involved in the clinical development of novel medications (bedaquiline, delamanid, pretomanid) and vaccines for infectious diseases, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB). These medications now form the backbone of MDR and XDR regimens globally. She embarked on a journey to fulfill her love for global health and health systems stregnthening after completing Masters n Health Innovation in 2019, which focussed on digital technologies for adolescent health promotion in LMIC’s. Ramonde is currently engaged in her first year of Public Health (Epidemiology/Biostatistics) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She works part-time at the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research (CIDER) affiliated to the School of Public Health (UCT), where she is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and epidemiological research database support.

Benjamin Azariah Mosiwa | AFR Board Member

Benjamin Azariah Mosiwa is passionate about achieving health equity through improved financing and digitization of Primary Health Care in Africa. A holder of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Malawi and a MSc in Global Health Policy from the University of Edinburgh, Azariah has devoted himself to improving access, quality and cost of health services among underserved populations in Africa, through generating quality health equity evidence and advocating for better policies that minimize barriers to accessing needed health services. Azariah is a Board Member for the IWG in the African Region, and works to advance the vision of the organization through evidence-based advocacy as well as knowledge sharing as part of inspiring upcoming public health specialists to strive to solve practical health system problems across Africa.

Somto Keluo-Udeke | AFR Regional Director

Somto is a Public Health Researcher and Pharmacist. Her key expertise is in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, project management, human-centered design, evidence gathering and synthesis, health systems strengthening, health communication, monitoring and evaluation, and stakeholder relationship management. Somto has a demonstrated track record of excellent work across organizations. In recognition of her expertise, she has been nominated to serve in several advisory roles. Furthermore, Somto is committed to advocating for gender equality and championing youth causes in her community. In her spare time, she loves reading African fiction, experiencing new cultures, and fine dining.

Bronte Davies | AFR Regional Leader

Bronte Davies is based in Cape Town and has experience in the non-profit sector with sexual, reproductive and maternal health and HIV/Aids. Having recently completed a Master of Public Health (Health Systems), her academic research explored delivery and uptake of vaccines during pregnancy. She is currently working on development of training toolkits for healthcare workers for Advanced HIV Disease and maternal health. Bronte’s goal is to strengthen systems responses for dignified menstrual, pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences and ultimately, to make health systems work better for women and mothers.

Grace Gwini | AFR Regional Leader

Grace Gwini is a medical doctor who is passionate about responsive health systems and health equity. She is currently pursuing a master’s in public health with the University of Cape Town, and her MPH concentration is Healthy Systems and Policy. She works part-time as a research assistant at the Adolescent Accelerators Research Hub. Her research focuses on HIV risk factors and drivers in adolescent girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Grace is the outgoing curator for the Global Shapers Bulawayo hub and the Strategic Director for Women in Global Health South Africa.

Toluwani Oluwatola | AFR Regional Leader

Good health is not a luxury but it appears so in many low and middle-income countries characterized by poor health indices and broken health systems. This drives Toluwani’s passion for health policy and financing. Toluwani is an early career professional currently based in Nigeria.

Anna Ishaku | AFR Regional Leader

Anna Ishaku is a compassionate and dedicated registered midwife and a public Health Specialist with 9+ years humanitarian working experience in delivering timely and quality health care services to displaced communities, vulnerable groups with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. She worked with various NGOs such as Medicins sans frontiers (MSF), International Rescue committee (IRC) and World Food Program (WFP) cooperating partner in Northeastern Nigeria providing nutritional Services and supporting the Ministry of Health as well as helping women of reproductive age, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in rural and hard-to reach areas and has participated during COVID-19 emergency response with MSF spain. Currently, She is the Founder of SMaNCH Foundation Nigeria, a Non-profit Organization providing life-saving medical care to Population in most need and working towards Health system strengthening in Nigeria. She believes in the basic human rights of all person and that every person has a right to equitable, ethical and access to quality health care that promotes healing and respects human dignity.

Shaibu Juliet Ugbedeojo | AFR Regional Leader

Juliet Ugbedeojo Shaibu (MPH) is a passionate and dedicated public health professional with over 3+ years working experience in delivering efficient, prompt and quality public health (maternal and child health) and /or environmental services to rural and urban communities, displaced person’s and vulnerable groups in vast cultural backgrounds. She has worked as an Intern/ volunteer with several organizations such as Centre for Health and Substance Abuse Prevention (CHEASAP), Sustainable Green Environment Initiative (SGEi), World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), Technical Assistance for Sustainable Government Capacity (TAConnect). She is currently serving as one of the African Regional Leaders in International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening (IWG). Her passions in public health include maternal and child health, global health, environmental health and health leadership. In her free time, she loves to travel, tryout new food and pastry recipes, drum, unwind with music and exercise.