Where Women Lead, Health Thrives.

Our Mission & Vision

  • To build a world where leadership in health is inclusive, diverse, and equitable.

  • To build inclusive and empowering networks for Nigerian women in global health.

  • To achieve gender parity in leadership across all health-related sectors.

  • To collaborate with institutions promoting gender and inclusion.

  • To shape equitable health policy through strategic advocacy.

  • To mentor and inspire girls to pursue health leadership roles.

Women in Global Health (WGH) Nigeria began in 2020 with a vision: to amplify the visibility, voice, and recognition of Nigerian women shaping global health programming, policy, and advocacy, both within our communities at home and across the diaspora. From the start, we set out to build an inclusive movement that welcomes all genders, across every stage of their careers, and from every background; tribe, religion, age, or socioeconomic status, united by a shared commitment to advancing gender-transformative leadership in health.

In our early years, Pathfinder International in Nigeria played a pivotal role, providing strategic partnership and operational support as we laid the foundations of the chapter. With that backing, we steadily grew, and in 2023, we reached a defining milestone: WGH Nigeria’s registration as a legal entity. On April 27, 2023, we celebrated our official launch, marking not just the start of a new chapter but the beginning of a bold, collective journey.

Since then, our community has grown to 717 members (as of August 2025), and together we have designed and delivered five impactful projects, including three research studies that deepen the evidence base for women’s leadership in health. Beyond projects, our members have proudly represented Nigeria on global stages such as the World Health Assembly, UN General Assembly, World Health Summit, and Africa Health Agenda

International Conference (AHAIC), while also ensuring strong participation in national convenings that shape health and gender policy closer to home.

Every milestone has strengthened our conviction that Nigerian women belong at the decision-making table in health, locally, nationally, and globally. And our journey is only just beginning.

Our Journey

Meet the changemakers powering our mission

Our Team

Dr. Adepeju Adeniran

Co-Founder & Chapter Lead WGHN

Calbeth Chikaodinaka Alaribe, DMSc, MPH, PA-C

Co-Founder WGHN

Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi

Trustee WGHN

Oluwabukola Shaba

Trustee & Program Officer WGHN

Dr. Olayinka Badmus

Program Oversight Committee WIL-KIN

Leslie Austin Udoh

Marketing & Communications Specialist WGHN

Ayotomiwa Olutayo Ayodele

Program Associate, UHC Project, WGHN

At WGH Nigeria, our work is guided by the global Women in Global Health movement, while staying grounded in Nigeria’s unique context. Our pillars define how we create change:

Gender-Equal & Transformative Leadership

We push beyond numbers to ensure women are not only represented but are reshaping health leadership. By championing gender-transformative leadership, we aim to shift power structures and decision-making processes in health at local, national, and global levels.

Equity in the Health & Care Workforce

Women are the backbone of Nigeria’s health system, yet they face barriers to recognition, fair pay, safety, and career progression. We advocate for workforce equity; ensuring women health workers are supported, protected, and given equal opportunities to thrive.

Gender-Responsive Health Systems

From universal health coverage to pandemic preparedness, we promote health systems that respond to the needs of women, men, and marginalized groups alike. We believe gender equity is not an add-on; it’s a prerequisite for strong and inclusive health systems.

Movement & Alliance Building

We are part of a global sisterhood, building bridges across geographies and sectors. In Nigeria, this means growing a vibrant membership, forging partnerships, and uniting voices across gender, tribe, religion, and profession to advocate for change together.

Our Core Pillars

Challenging power and privilege for gender equity in health.

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Dr Adepeju Adeniran

Co-Founder & Chapter Lead WGHN

Dr. Adepeju Adeniran is an experienced clinical and public health physician with over 15 years of experience, with core experience in the areas of health system strengthening focused on local lessons and solutions to Universal Healthcare Coverage in Nigeria. She is currently the health system strengthening lead on the Universal Health Care Access at the Lagos State Primary HealthCare Board, a BMGF supported project. She led health services delivery, as well as advocacy for sexual health services for marginalised key populations The Initiative for Equal Rights, ensuring that health systems focus on equity in health delivery.

Dr Adeniran is the co-founder and chapter lead of the Women in Global Health Nigeria, where she leads initiatives and advocacy for Gender parity in Global Health care leadership in Nigeria. She believes that LMIC health systems have significant insights to add to global health policy, and aligns her career in the direction of making these contributions palpable.

Calbeth Chikaodinaka Alaribe, DMSc, MPH, PA-C

Co-Founder WGHN

Calbeth Chikaodinaka Alaribe, DMSc, MPH, PA-C, is  a Nigerian American, Obstetric Hospitalist, and health equity leader dedicated to advancing gender-transformative leadership in global health. She is the Co-Founder of Women in Global Health – Nigeria, where she built a network of more than 500 Nigerian women across the health sector, creating pathways for mentorship, leadership, and policy influence.

Dr. Alaribe’s career spans clinical practice, healthcare operations, and public health leadership, with a focus on dismantling systemic barriers to health access and representation. At WGH Nigeria, Calbeth co-led national campaigns with the Nigeria CDC, Pathfinder International, and the Swedish Embassy to drive gender equity in health leadership.

Beyond WGH, she has led health equity initiatives in the United States and advised international organizations on maternal and reproductive health equity. Her impact has been recognized globally, earning her honors such as Morehouse School of Medicine’s Top 10 Under 40 and Emory University’s Top 40 Under 40 awards.

Calbeth continues to mentor emerging leaders and advocate for inclusive systems that elevate the voices of Nigerian women in health — both at home and across the diaspora.

Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi

Trustee WGHN

Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi is a physician and public health professional with over 17 years’ extensive experience in designing and managing health system and sustainable development programmes aimed at improving the health and well-being of women, girls and communities. She is currently the Nigeria Country Director at Pathfinder International where she provides overall strategic leadership and oversees the programmatic and operational management of Pathfinder activities in Nigeria and she is a trustee of Women in Global Health Nigeria where she supports with the decision making and governance of the chapter.

Oluwabukola Shaba

Trustee & Program Officer WGHN

Oluwabukola Shaba
Strategic Communications Specialist | Gender & Development Advocate | Media & Advocacy Leader

Oluwabukola Shaba is a strategic communications expert with over a decade of experience leading high-impact initiatives across global health, development, and governance sectors. She has crafted and executed communications strategies for organisations such as Save the Children International, SCIDaR, CHAI, and British Council.

Through her role at Women in Global Health Nigeria, Bukola is advancing gender equity and feminist leadership in global health, designing campaigns and advocacy materials that challenge systemic barriers and amplify women’s voices in health leadership spaces.

Specializing in corporate communications, digital media, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and gender-focused storytelling, Bukola is passionate about driving conversations on poverty alleviation, governance, women’s leadership, and sustainable development. She believes in the power of strategic communication to dismantle inequities and inspire transformational change.

Dr. Olayinka Badmus

Program Oversight Committee WIL-KIN

Dr. Olayinka Badmus 

Gender Programming & Storytelling for Change

Dr. Olayinka Badmus is a seasoned public health professional, gender advocate, and social and behavior change (SBC) expert with 15+ years of experience advancing health equity across Africa. Her work focuses on integrating gender-responsive approaches into health systems, policies, and community structures—especially through storytelling, participatory design, and inclusive communication strategies.

She served as the Deputy Project Director for Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) under the USAID-funded Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria project, implemented by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. She led national-scale efforts to mainstream gender and equity into epidemic response, including COVID-19, mpox, and Lassa fever. Olayinka led the development of the Building Trust and Empathy module—an award-winning wellness training delivered to over 4,800 frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her campaign work includes designing gender-sensitive vaccination drives, behavior change materials, and football-themed SBC content targeting male decision-makers to promote care-seeking and vaccine acceptance.
In 2019, she spearheaded the co-creation of Hasken Mata (Women’s Empowerment Groups), providing over 4,000 women in Northern Nigeria with safe spaces to learn, save, and act collectively on health and social issues including gender-based violence. These groups have contributed over $259,000 in pooled savings for health emergencies, joint ventures, and health-promoting behavior change, including exclusive breastfeeding, ANC uptake and birth preparedness.

Beyond project-based work, Olayinka is the Founder and Convener of Echoes of Her (EoH)—an intergenerational storytelling and engagement campaign that reimagines women’s lives, voices, and legacies across generations. Through podcasts, digital content, and community dialogues, EoH centers lived experience as a tool for reflection, healing, and social change—exploring themes such as body image, fertility, caregiving, loss, and cultural taboos. Though new, the campaign draws from her years of experience in gender work and responds to a growing need for inclusive spaces where women’s truths—especially around gender-based violence—can be honored, amplified, and mobilized for impact. The campaign amplifies content using local languages and inclusive formats to foster digital and offline participation, especially for underserved communities.

Olayinka’s thought leadership has been showcased globally. She has spoken on gender and health systems at the 79th UN General Assembly, the Social Norms Conference, and the 63rd National Council on Health. She led a gender mainstreaming workshop for 15 West African countries under WAHO, and served as panelist and strategy advisor for various platforms including Women in Global Health, where she is a Gender Transformative Leadership alumna and committee member of the KIN Women in Leadership Project.

She is also the resident advisor of the Media-EIS Fellowship, where she mentors young professionals and journalists to use storytelling and media for public health impact, with a gender and equity lens.
Her personal mantra—”Whose lens are you wearing?”—guides her approach to inclusive content, empathetic engagement, and authentic leadership. Through every program, podcast, or platform she leads, Olayinka remains committed to reframing narratives, reclaiming women’s voices, and accelerating intergenerational impact.

Leslie Austin Udoh

Marketing & Communications Specialist WGHN

Leslie is a Communications and Social and Behavior Change Specialist with a proven track record in shaping policies, influencing behaviors, and delivering sustainable health outcomes across diverse communities and stakeholder groups. Through strategic communication and education, he drives behavior change and improves health outcomes, leveraging his expertise to design impactful campaigns that resonate with audiences.

As an experienced trainer and facilitator, Leslie has delivered capacity-building sessions on Risk Communication and Social and Behavior Change (SBC), empowering media professionals, community volunteers, and health practitioners with the skills to communicate health risks effectively. His leadership extends to initiatives like the One Health Risk Communication and Community Engagement Training for Media and Public Health Practitioners and the innovative Media Epidemiology, Infodemic Management, and Social and Behavior Change (Media-EIS) Fellowship, which equipped participants to analyze, verify, and amplify health information in the digital age.

Leslie has co-facilitated major USAID radio and TV campaigns on public health priorities such as COVID-19, immunization, and zoonotic diseases including yellow fever, Mpox, Lassa fever, and rabies—crafting messages that stick and inspire action. His creative journey also includes impactful work with Audacious Entertainment Ventures, where he recorded, voiced, and produced compelling radio jingles while enhancing brand visibility through expert graphic design. Additionally, he contributed as a news editor, scriptwriter, and reporter for Moneyline with Nancy on AIT, shaping business and economic news that informed national conversations.

Currently, Leslie serves as the Marketing and Communications Specialist for Women in Global Health Nigeria, leading the creation of high-impact content and campaigns that amplify women’s voices and drive gender equity in the global health space. Through strategic storytelling and digital engagement, he ensures the organization’s message resonates far and wide.

Leslie’s genius lies in his ability to document knowledge for impactful project execution—ensuring every piece of content he creates communicates key health messages and program outcomes with clarity and flair. He’s not just a storyteller; he’s a media advocate shaping the future of health communication.

Ayotomiwa Olutayo Ayodele

Program Associate, UHC Project, WGHN

Ayotomiwa Olutayo Ayodele is a gender advocate, a human development worker, a policy advocate, and a communications consultant with a penchant for human development program initiatives across Ekiti State, Nigeria and Africa at large. Her programs (both on-air and physical) have been particularly critical in raising awareness and sensitization programs across Ekiti State, Nigeria and the global scene on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation, Young Women in leadership, peacebuilding and conflict resolution among peers, gender-based violence and the ability to stand up against old and harmful practices, reproductive health and menstrual hygiene this sensitization and training have been both online and physical which had involved various stakeholders and age groups.

She is an alumnus of the Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI), an initiative of President Barrack Obama to build young African leaders; she is also a member of the West African Youth Network against FGM, she is an Alumnus of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance(SPPG), among other networks. She is a fellow at the Behavioural Insight Network, Transparency and Accountability (BINTA) fellowship among other bodies.

She has served in different capacities relating to media and communications before taking up her current role as an Administrative Officer at the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) while she runs her non-profit organization (Media for Human Development Foundation) and also serve as the Program Associate, Women in Global Health Nigeria chapter where she currently oversee the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) project which focuses on advocating for welfare and safety of female community health workers at the Primary Healthcare Centers across the country