WEST AFRICA — Women health leaders across Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso have begun a major 12-month leadership programme designed to strengthen health systems and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes across West Africa.
The initiative brings together mid- to senior-career women working across clinical care, education, regulation, policy, research, innovation and advocacy.
The programme is being delivered through a partnership involving WomenLift Health and the Women in Leadership Advancement Network, known as WILAN.
Participants are expected to receive leadership development, mentoring, coaching and opportunities to work on practical health-sector challenges.
Maternal and newborn health is a major priority, with the programme seeking to strengthen the ability of women leaders to influence policy and improve the quality of healthcare delivery.
The initiative also seeks to create stronger networks between health professionals across the four participating countries.
Participants will engage in virtual learning as well as in-person activities, while developing projects aimed at creating practical improvements in health systems.
Organizers say empowering women in health leadership can help strengthen decision-making and create more effective responses to complex public-health challenges.
The programme is expected to run for 12 months, with participants eventually becoming part of a wider network of health leaders capable of collaborating across national borders.
The initiative represents a broader effort to strengthen healthcare leadership in West Africa and support women who are positioned to influence health policy, practice and system-wide reforms.
