Thirty women leaders from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal don begin one major 12-month leadership programme wey organisers say go help strengthen their ability to influence health systems, shape policies and improve maternal and newborn health across West Africa.

The programme, wey dem call 2026 West Africa Midwifery Leadership Journey, na fully funded initiative by WomenLift Health in partnership with WILAN Global. The programme officially open with a four-day leadership immersion wey take place for Lagos.

The initiative dey focus on one major challenge for the health sector — the fact say women dey play very important role for healthcare delivery, especially maternal and newborn care, but many of dem still no dey represented enough for top leadership and decision-making positions.

The 30 women wey dey participate for the programme come from different professional backgrounds. Among dem na midwives, clinicians, health educators, policymakers, researchers, programme managers and health systems leaders.

Even though the participants come from different countries and professional backgrounds, organisers say many of dem dey face similar leadership challenges. The programme therefore dey designed to give them the skills, confidence and networks wey dem need to influence institutions, policies and health outcomes.

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During the four-day leadership immersion for Lagos, the participants dey take part in different leadership development sessions, coaching conversations, peer-to-peer exchanges and practical exercises.

The activities go help the women strengthen their leadership abilities, understand how to increase their influence, build professional relationships and develop strategies wey fit help them create meaningful change within their institutions and communities.

Founder and Executive Director of WILAN Global, Abosede George-Ogan, say the ambition of the programme goes beyond developing individual women leaders.

According to her, the bigger goal na to support women leaders wey fit influence health systems, shape government policies, strengthen institutions and ultimately improve maternal and newborn health outcomes across West Africa.

She also point out say the health challenges wey countries dey face today complex and no single institution fit solve dem alone.

Because of this, she say leaders need to learn how to work across different sectors, build trusted partnerships, collaborate with people from different professional backgrounds and make difficult decisions even when the environment no certain.

East Africa Director at WomenLift Health, Dr Sylvia Vito, also encourage the participants to see their personal and professional experiences as important tools for their leadership journey.

She urge dem make dem no waste the experiences wey life and work don give dem, but instead use those experiences to understand their purpose and create positive change.

Vito also stress the importance of networking, saying leadership no be something person fit do alone.

She explained that transforming health systems requires people working together, building relationships and creating strong networks that can support long-term change.

After the four-day leadership immersion for Lagos, the programme no go end there. The participants go continue their 12-month journey through individual coaching, mentorship, health leadership projects, collaborative learning and professional networking.

Through these activities, dem go have opportunity to apply the leadership lessons to real challenges within their workplaces and communities.

The participants will also gain access to a network of women leaders committed to promoting stronger, more equitable and more effective health systems across the region.

WomenLift Health, wey start operations in 2019, focuses on investing in women’s leadership within the health sector through leadership development programmes and professional networks.

WILAN Global, on its own side, works to promote gender-balanced leadership through leadership development, advocacy, research and strategic partnerships.

The organisers believe say empowering more women to take up leadership positions for healthcare fit help create stronger institutions and better policies, while also contributing to improved healthcare outcomes for mothers and newborn babies across West Africa.

As the 30 women begin their 12-month leadership journey, the programme hopes to build not just stronger individual professionals, but a growing network of women leaders wey fit influence the future of healthcare across the region.