As the Director-General of West African Institute of Public Health (WAIPH), the leading nonstate public health research, training, advocacy and programme implementation organisation in the region, I oversee the strategic direction, operations, and partnerships of the institute. With over 25 years of experience in public health, I have been part of the thrusts in health reforms in Africa, including the National Health Act in Nigeria, and have supported various initiatives to strengthen health systems, improve maternal and child health, scale-up nutrition programmes, primary health care towards achieving universal health coverage.

My passion for public health stems from my background as a physician, social entrepreneur, and development strategist, as well as my Afrocentric worldview. I have worked with several multilateral, bilateral, and nonstate entities, such as UNICEF, WHO, USAID, FCDO, Sabin Vaccine Institute, The ONE Campaign, and SynergyPMP, to advance global health and health security by re-engineering enabling environment through high-impact policy, and advocacy programmes, as well as ground-zero targeted programme implementation.

I have also published numerous articles and papers on public health topics, such as neonatal infections, health outcomes research, and global health practice. I hold Fellowships from the UK's Faculty of Public Health, the Royal Society for Public Health, the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, and The Academy of Public Health, among others. I have postgraduate qualifications in public health, advanced genetics, business administration, international development and computer applications among others.

Currently, I serve on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, the Taskforce of the Africa Digital Health Networks, the Africa CDC's Scientific Programme Committee, Nigeria's National Taskforce for Multiple Micronutients Supplement and the Governing Council of theAcademy of Learning Nigeria, to mention a few.