EmpowerHER Fellowship - Women in Global Health Nigeria

Creating hyper-visible Nigerian Women Leaders in Global Health

EmpowerHER Health Fellowship is WGH Nigeria’s flagship adaptation of the Women in Leadership Kenya-India-Nigeria (WIL-KIN) Program, a collaborative initiative co-created by WGH Global, WGH Kenya, WGH India, and WGH Nigeria. The WIL-KIN program was designed to cultivate feminist leadership in health, driving gender-transformative change through empowering individuals, fostering collaboration, and creating tools for best practice.

In Nigeria, the EmpowerHER Health Fellowship is an innovative, fully funded program amplifying the voices of Nigerian women in global health. The fellowship is designed for 24 women cutting across the different geopolitical zones in Nigeria, experience levels, age groups, and sectors, but all united by their shared focus on strengthening health leadership.

The fellowship builds leadership skills in advocacy, research, public speaking, and digital engagement, ensuring women’s perspectives are visible in health decision-making spaces. Through tailored training, mentoring, and strategic networking, EmpowerHER Health Fellowship is nurturing a powerful new generation of Nigerian women leaders ready to influence health policy and practice locally, nationally, and globally.

About Us

Advocacy for Change

Developing bold, knowledgeable health advocates ready to challenge and shape policies.

Social Media for Impact

Training community health workers to use storytelling and digital tools for public awareness and reform.

Research for Gender Equity

Guiding women researchers in publication, grant writing, and policy engagement for equity.

Speaking for Leadership

Equipping emerging leaders with public speaking, branding, and facilitation skills to amplify their impact.

Fellowship Streams

Meet the Fellows

Browse profiles of current and past fellows

Mfreke Anakan Ayan Asigbe

Dr. Bakare Airat Adeola

Iyanuoluwa Mobolaji Adufe

Dr. Olufemi Mulkah Ajagun-Ogunleye

Nwadiuto Okwuniru Azugo

Martha Ifeyinwa Nwanua

Ogechukwu MaryAnn Akabuike

Dr. Funmilola Adio

Dr. Akanbi-Hakeem Hauwa Bolanle

Busayo Akindolie

Ajobo Mary

Dr. Hadiza Thompson

Favour Christiana Ogbuagu

Fatima Gidado

Dr. Amina M. Hassan

Sylvia Ezenwa-Ahanene

Prudence Enema

Anya Joseph Nyako

Okereke Chisom Confidence

Zakiyya Said Abdulkadir

Bilkis Abdulraheem Lawal

Omoyosola Awodele

Eze Chinemerem Cynthia

Onyinyechi Collete Njoku

Fellowship Team

Explore the profiles of expert mentors leading each stream. Learn from their experiences, contributions, and featured works.

Dr. Adepeju Adeniran

Co-Founder & Chapter Lead

Oluwabukola Shaba

Program Officer, EmpowerHER Health Fellowship

Dr. Cassandra Akinde

Mentor / Facilitator for The Research for Gender Equity Focus Stream

Elisabeth Ezekiel

Mentor / Facilitator, Speaking For Leadership / Personal Branding Focus Stream

Leslie Austin Udoh

Mentor / Facilitator, Social Media For Impact Focus Stream

Omolara Oyinlola

Mentor / Facilitator, Advocacy Focus Stream

The Fellowship has positioned me for unexpected opportunities: invitations to speak at universities, join cross-country One Health dialogues, and prepare for international panels like the upcoming ECOWAS Lassa Fever Conference. These milestones have been exciting, but what matters even more to me is how my work is beginning to reach beyond academic spaces to younger colleagues, women, farmers, and local communities who are at the heart of change.

The fellowship has helped me find myself and my voice. It has pushed me to be better. I’ve always been fascinated by maternal /infant care, but I hadn’t done much around it until now( physically and digitally) . With the empowerment and lessons from the fellowship, I’m no longer just intent on looking out for problems, I talk about them (physically and digitally, without feeling intimidated or insecure. My voice is more empowered now. Now, I'm not just committed to sharing knowledge but GROWING in the field too.

One of the most impactful moments was during my community engagement project, where I worked with young mothers in Edo State to strengthen awareness on maternal and child health. Through the fellowship, I gained the confidence and advocacy tools not only to design the project but also to engage traditional and community leaders effectively, something that once felt daunting.

One of the biggest milestones for me has been having my articles published in newspapers and shared with wider audiences, something I never imagined possible before the Fellowship. The constant encouragement, training, and push from EmpowerHer has built my confidence and shown me that my voice matters.

The fellowship has taught me a lot about advocacy and how I can use my voice and platform to advocate for what I am passionate about. I have also learned confidence and consistency (these were areas I struggled with)

This journey has also earned me recognition as a social media influencer on health issues, giving me both satisfaction and motivation to aim higher and make bold, lasting impacts. Above all, the Fellowship has taught me consistency; not for personal gain, but out of responsibility, knowing that if I stay silent, misinformation thrives. My actions truly matter.